Serpent's Kiss
by TimeGuardian
Summary: [Set after Shattered Memories] The daughters of Zin have found a new source of eternal life, and Jonny and his family are not far behind. The deadly race is on.
1. Second Chances and Msg in a Bottle

**_Serpent's Kiss  
_**An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
by Time Guardian

_Prologue - Second Chances _

Water was everywhere.

He was swept up by it, surrounded by it, and it threatened to spin him out of control. The riverhad seemed to be a good idea at the time, but in the darkness he had no chance to gauge the speed and strength of the water.

The explosion from the bomb had come mere seconds before he jumped into the river. He felt the heat at his back, then the mind numbing rush of the cold water. Currents grabbed at him and swept him downstream while he struggled to keep his head above water.

He treaded water as best he could, but could not avoid the outcropping of rocks that were jutting out throughout his journey. BY the time the current had slowed down enough for him to seek the shore, he was tired and shivering. With what little strength he had left, he plunged ahead, the moonlight easily showing a long stretch of quiet shore mere yards away.

One stroked turned into another, his legs were screaming for relief, but he pushed himself until at last he felt his feet touch bottom. Grateful for the release, he stumbled the remaining few yards through the water until he fell forward onto the hard rocks and dirt of the shore. The pain didn't matter, the extreme exhaustion was soon forgotten - he was alive!

Coughing and sputtering, he laid there for many moments until he turned over on his back. Above him, the moon shone brightly, and he said a silent prayer of thanks for the illumination. From his vantage point, he surveyed the land around him and came to the realization that with the exception of two or three ramshackle buildings, the area was effectively deserted.

This did not fit into his plans at all. He had remembered the last thing the sisters of Zin had told him before they left him to die: They were going to find the snake cult.

After a few moments of breathing in-out, he ventured to sit up, and found to his surprise that his head remained intact for the most part. A dull ache resounded throughout his body, but that he could easily attest to his collisions with the rocks during his wild ride down river.

He remembered his name and remembered how he came to be here, that's what mattered. He had been in worse spots than this, and that was when he didn't remember that he was Jonny Quest.

Heh, his father was probably frantic with worry at this point, and Race - he didn't even want to go there. Jonny had gotten the vibe loud and clear: they wanted to help him face his demons, help put his past to rest.

What he hadn't counted on was the daughters of Zin coming to try and continue their father's work by coming after his adopted brother Hadji. That was something Jonny couldn't forgive. He had just gotten back to a normal life with his family, and he would do anything to protect that.

Jonny's thoughts turned back to the Snake Cult. One thing that Dr. Zin was totally obsessed with, and that was finding the secrets to eternal life. Being trained by Dr. Zin meant that Jonny was deliberately kept close to him during the research and testing that was performed. That had its advantages, because despite his problems of remembering much of his training, much of those journeys to seek eternal life stood out in his mind.

In a flash, he knew where he needed to be - South America.

with some effort, Jonny pushed himself off of the riverbank and managed to get onto his feet. He would run

the recognizance, follow the trail, and only when he was certain, Jonny would summon reinforcements. That would be the best way to keep everyone safe.

He picked the nearest building, and headed for it.

----

_Chapter One - Message in a Bottle _

_Two Months Later-_

Jessie Bannon sat in the middle of the lighthouse laboratory and tried to focus on her chemistry studies.

She was giving herself an A for effort, but an f for execution. On the paper sitting before her, the chemical equation she was supposed to be solving seemed to sit there and mock her for even thinking about anything else.

Truth be told, her mind was wandering back to the events of two months ago. It had seemed so exciting then, traveling to Germany and then India. In Germany, she had been ordered to stay with the Dragonfly and analyze any potential escape routes the daughters of Zin could take while Dr. Quest and her father went after Jonny.

Now Jonny was gone and-

A beeping sound broke into her thoughts. Jessie looked up and saw that the time was nearing ten in the evening. Her dad would be mad that she was up this late, but the beeping wasn't coming from any clock alarm, at least none that she had set.

Now curious, she got up and followed the sound. Across the room sat Dr. Quest's VR system and mainframe, and they were supposed to be in a low power state for the night. The beeping however, seemed to be coming from one of terminals attached to the mainframe.

In the low light she walked over to the terminal. This was crazy, she was just over here two hours ago composing an email to Hadji, and she knew that she shut the terminal down.

One look at the terminal though sent her scrambling for the nearest house phone.

Green text in bright relief flashed across the screen - A sentence and GPS coordinates followed by a very distinctive signature.

She nervously waited precious seconds before she heard the tired voice of her father on the line. "Dad? Yeah, I am at the lighthouse. I'm sorry I am up so late, but I think you and Dr. Quest should get here right away."

Jessie waited for a moment through a haze of protests. "Dad -no - dad! This is important!"

She read him the message, and waited a beat. "-and dad, the message is signed."

At the bottom of the screen, The letters 'JQ' flashed in time with the rest of the message.

"Jonny is alive."


	2. Plans in Motion

_The Snake Cult, the flower, and the renegade faction of Incas as protrayed here do not exist. The Snake Cult idea was sparked by reading an article online researching the worship of snakes._

_**Serpent's Kiss  
**An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
by Time Guardian  
__  
Chapter 2 - Plans in Motion _

Chaos ensued at the lighthouse as Jessie let her father and Dr. Benton Quest into the lighthouse. Questions poured from their lips as Jessie led them over to the terminal that held the ominous message.

Dr. Quest took a seat in front of the terminal and read the message twice to be sure. "'The Snake Cult lives' - Race, access the GPS information from our mainframe. Input the coordinates that I am about to give you."

Race stationed himself at one of the other terminals and typed in a few commands. "Fire away."

After Dr. Quest read off the coordinates, it took Race only a few moments to pinpoint the location. "Looks to be a large area in-between Peru and And Brazil. Readings indicate some dense jungle area there."

Something bothered Jessie about all of this. "How did Jonny get all of the way there?"

"He's pretty resourceful, Jess," her father replied, "although we have to consider that this may be a trap."

Benton stared at the monitor. "Even so, I think that this is a legitimate clue to the location of Zin's daughters. I analyzed some of the statues we found at that burned out temple in India. Most had snake imagery attached to them, either figures holding snakes or figures with snake heads. This supposed 'snake cult' was widespread. Oh from the research I have read, there were a few factions, but one stood out from all the rest."

He stood up. "There was a faction supposedly around the time of the Incas that believed if you drank the blood of a snake mixed with the snake's venom, you would be granted eternal life."

Jessie protested. "Eternal life? Come on, Dr. Quest, we all know that snake venom can be highly toxic!"

Dr. Quest held up a hand to quiet her protest. "And yet there have been people throughout the ages that have lived to tell about being bitten by snakes, some of which are considered quite deadly. I'm not saying that I believe, but the evidence is there."

Jessie smiled now. "So, South America it is. When do we leave?"

Race shook his head. "If you mean we as in 'Dr. Quest and I', first thing in the morning. As for you, young lady, you have Chemistry and Latin exams you have to take tomorrow. I'll alert Mrs. Evans to let her know that we will be gone for a while so that she can watch over the house and pick you up from school."

Jessie sat down in the nearest chair, not bothering to hide her disappointment. "Yes dad."

Dr. Quest smiled graciously. "It's only going to be a simple mission for a few days Jessie, and we'll be back before you know it."

Race smiled in agreement, but in the back of his mind he was already wondering just how simple this mission would actually be.

-----------------------------------------------------------

In the federal penitentiary, Phil Corvin sat in a cage. There was just enough room to pace if he wanted, but he chose not to. Officials had put him in there all alone, citing that his life wouldn't be worth a plug nickel if he was put with the general prison population.

Traitors to their country were always treated that way.

To his credit, there were so many things that he knew about Zin's operation, and he was pretty sure that wrote his ticket for staying alive. Heh, Phil had even heard a rumor that I-one had 'analyzed' Zin's corpse, hoping that they could find any secrets that he may have hidden.

Oh, if they only knew.

With any luck, Zin's daughters would be reviving their father anytime now, and then their plan would be unleashed.

He leaned back against the wall of his cage and smiled.

---------------------------------

South America-

Inside an abandoned stone pyramid, Anya Zin sat on her stone perch inside the main chamber and tried to discern the last few symbols on the tablet she was deciphering.

They had arrived here a month ago, and so far the culmination of their research ended up with a handful of hikers as prisoners/test subjects, and a collection of snakes that sent shivers up her spine. Father had forced them to learn a litany of sciences, including studying snakes, but she had found them to be repulsive.

The tablet itself seemed to describe a ritual of milking the snake and then drawing the blood from the snake by slicing it open. Since they chose to ship snakes in from other countries, Melana was supposed to be doing it via syringe to avoid killing off their supply. As long as she was able to get it done, that's what mattered.

Sounds of footsteps echoed through to her, and soon she saw her sister Melana enter the main chamber.

"Do you have that tablet translated yet, sister?" Melana called out. "I already tried a mixture of the blood and venom on one of our test subjects and it failed."

Anya looked at her sister in annoyance. "No, and I thought I told you not to start until I did."

"We are behind schedule, what else was I supposed to do?" Melana shot back. She walked over to where her sister was perched, and took a look at the tablet that her sister was working on. "It shows the blood, the venom-" She noticed a corner of the tablet showed a carving of what looked like a flower. "what about the flower?"

Anya studied the carving intently. "Even if it is meant to be in the potion, there is no detail to know which one! This has been a waste."

"Maybe not," Melana countered. "Father's notes stressed that the cult was made of Incas that did not hold the same beliefs as the others. If we direct our research that way-"

Anya quickly finished her sister's thought "-then we might have an idea of which flower they used." Standing up from her work, she stretched out her arms to restore her circulation. "I'll make a computer search."

---------------------------

Race sat behind the controls of the Dragonfly and watched the sunrise. Soon after Jessie had notified them of the strange message, he and Dr, Quest had quickly packed, and along with a quick emergency call to Mrs. Evans, they had taken off. Dr. Quest had managed to call in a few favors and was granted safe passage to a small airstrip at the edge of Peru.

He looked over at his friend and found that he was fast asleep. Race felt sorry for him. The year had been tumultuous at best for him , and he had a son who had been brainwashed to take on the whole world. Jonny seemed to be a good kid, but his sense of vengeance worried him. It made Jonny reckless at best, and dangerous at worst. And now on the basis of a simple text message, they were on their way into the unknown. He hoped that Jonny would be waiting for them and that they could take down Zin's daughters together.

Race set the controls to autopilot and grabbed for the thermos of coffee he had stashed beside his seat. This was going to be a long journey.

---------------------------

Melana followed her sister over to where she had a laptop stationed on top of a half broken wall. With amazing swiftness, Anya brought up their father's files and carefully cycled through them.

"Let's see - Father mentions something about flowers here and I think he identified them, look."

She pointed to a picture that appeared on the computer screen, and it seemed to match the carving exactly. The flower itself was blood red in color, and the petals seemed to flare out, then narrow to tiny hair-like fibers.

Melana pounced on the information. "Finally, we are getting somewhere."

After checking the notes along with the photo, Anaya shook her head. "Well, it looks like the flowers in question are in the Washington DC area, in the Smithsonian's botany department. Security will be tight. Do we have any operatives in the area?"

Melana nodded. "There is someone - we would just need to break him out first."


	3. La Entrada

_My hearty thanks to Sigokat who helped me with weapon research and sparked a few ideas for this fictional town. :)_

**Serpent's Kiss**  
An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
by Time Guardian

_Chapter three - La Entrada_

---------------------------

It had taken precious hours, but Race and Dr. Quest finally managed to touch down at the small strip that was in a desolate space of jungle. Race braked the craft, and the Dragonfly faithfully complied, stopping near the far edge of the runway.

Race shut down the systems and turned to release his harness. He looked out through the cockpit windows, and save for some dirt roads, brush and a building that looked like an old control tower, there didn't seem to be anything else around for miles. "You got us clearance to land here? We are in the middle of no where!"

Dr. Quest frowned as he surveyed the surroundings by the cockpit windows. "This is place that both the Peruvian and Brazilian authorities alluded to."

He double checked the GPS coordinates. "We are only ten miles away from the coordinates that were sent to us."

"Don't you mean the coordinates that Jonny sent us?"

Dr. Quest turned around sharply to look at his friend. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Race frowned slightly. The possibility of what they were getting into couldn't be ignored anymore. "We are following the lead of someone who is seeking vengeance, Benton. Jonny is too young for this, despite his intentions."

Dr. Quest reluctantly nodded. "I realize that all too well, Race. Soon after Jonny came home from the hospital, I consulted a colleague of mine who specializes in psychology and deprogramming of cult members. She told me that it could be years before Jonny totally reacclimatizes to family life. That's why I have been pushing him to face up to what happened."

"You had good intentions Benton, but it may have been too fast," Race pointed out. "Zin had Corvin, lackeys, and a bevy of drugs on his side. All we have is us."

Dr. Quest smiled wanly. "Never underestimate the power of family, Race. Now, shall we find out what is at those coordinates we were sent?"

Race stepped aside as Benton stood. "Lead the way."

The men stepped through the cargo area of the Dragonfly, and Dr. Quest hit the release button to open the side hatch.

When they stepped out, they realized that they had a reception waiting for them.

Four men in khaki styled uniforms stepped forward, and all were holding rifles.

"Step out of your aircraft - hands up!"

The accent was heavy but there was no was no mistaking the command.

Race put up his hands and muttered. "Benton, those are IMBEL MD-97LC assault rifles. These guys mean serious business."

Dr. Quest never took his eyes off of their welcoming party as he raised his hands. "Arms dealers?"

The man at the front of the group scowled and pointed his rifle directly at Dr. Quest's head. "Shut up and come with us!"

Dr. Quest started to comply until he felt Race's hand on his shoulder.

Race glared at the assembled men. "Just a minute here, we were allowed to land here by the Brazilian and Peruvian governments."

For his declarations, they were met by laughter by two of the men. One of the men that had stepped foward had a full black beard "It's funny you should mention government. We are the police force of La Entrada."

--

Under gunpoint, Race and Dr. Quest followed the group of men to a jeep and got in. It took about five minutes, but the jeep bounced and weaved down a short expanse of dirt road until they got a glimpse of a town, or at the very least what looked like a town.

There were a small handful of buildings lining the street, some in better shape than others. The main road seemed to dead end in sort of a town square, but other dirt roads branched off into nowhere within the nearby forest canopy.

The man who had done all of the talking back at the airstrip had control of the wheel, and he steered the jeep to a building near the square. He stopped the jeep abruptly, killed the engine, then motioned to Race and Dr. Quest. "Out."

They did as the man commanded, and soon they stood before the four men once again. The bearded man stepped forward, along with a smaller man with short black hair. Race found it strange that they kept their weapons at their sides this time.

The small man looked on the verge of a tantrum. His face flushed, he pointed a finger at Dr. Quest. "What do you know about tourists disappearing?"

Race never felt more confused in all of his life. "What do you mean? We just arrived!"

The bearded man looked sharply at his counterpart. "Felix, shut up! Do you not remember who is in command here?"

The rebuke mollified Felix. "Yes, Sergeant."

The sergeant turned back to them. "What I want to know is why you are here. We have had tourists disappearing left and right for close to a month, and then you two show up."

The implication angered Race. "Listen, this is Dr. Benton Quest, a world renowned scientist. We were given information indicating that there was trouble in this area, and we have come to check it out, if it's quite all right with you, _sergeant_."

"Race-" Dr. Quest warned.

The sergeant thought for a moment, stroking his beard in the process. "As you know, our town is called 'La Entrada' - the gateway. We make what little money we can from travelers and explorers who stop through for a night for supplies and other things before they journey into the jungle."

Sighing, the man motioned to his men. Felix stayed by his side, but the other two men walked off down the road. "The whole area has been on a heightened alert lately. If you two want to disappear like the others, be my guest. I even have an extra jeep for you to use. All I ask is that if you find who caused the disappearances, that we are allowed to deal with them."

Dr. Quest replied. "I can promise you that we will do our best to find out what is going on at the very least. We only have coordinates to go on so far, but maybe you can tell us: Do you know what is located ten miles from here?"

Felix, who had been quiet up until now, stood up. His eyes were wide, and he looked around to the sergeant in fright. "Serpente! Serpente! Serpente!"

"Shut up!" the sergeant growled turning back to the two of them. "You see what you have made him do? Bah, there is nothing there ten miles away, save for a pyramid. Superstitious locals call it the 'Serpent's Pyramid'."

Dr. Quest stood, his interest piqued. "But that's exactly what we are looking for! We are afraid some evil people have taken up there, looking for something. My- son is also there-"

He broke off his declaration as emotion threatened to overwhelm him. Adrenaline and a sense of purpose had fueled him for two month, but now that he was so close-

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked in some surprise to find Felix standing there. "Your son, taken by the pyramid?"

Dr. Quest nodded reluctantly. "Something like that."

Felix got a distant look in his eyes, and then spoke low and quickly to the sergeant. After he was finished, the sergeant shook his head slowly. "We have a few young guides in our village who take tourists out now and again, but even that dried up when they started disappearing along with the tourists. In fact, there's only one guide left in town right now."

Race frowned at this bit of news. "But we need to get to the Serpent's Pyramid and fast."

Felix hitched a thumb over his shoulder to a small two storied building at the edge of the square. "Daylight's fading. That is our main bar and eating place over there, but they have rooms for rent. The guides usually eat in there at this time of day. No one else is going to want to go to the pyramid, so if you are serious about this, you should check there. The Serpent's Pyramid is not innocent - it took my son too. Heed my words."

Dr. Quest looked over at the building. He didn't like the choices, but they had to do something. "We better secure food and lodging at least. Let's go Race."

With a last look over his shoulder, Race reluctantly followed him over to the building Felix had indicated.

--

The building reminded Race of something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Made of old wood and rusted metal, the outside of the building looked to want to fall in at any second.

When they stepped inside, Race noticed that appearances were indeed deceiving. The walls seemed to be made of newer wood, and were painted a slate grey color. The only other semblances of decoration seemed to be lit candles sticking out of wine bottles. These were placed at strategic points on the bar, and on the four lonely tables near the front of the room. The bar itself seemed to be made of a darker wood, yet seemed to be hastily put together, since the edges seemed to show the rough wood grain.

The 'bartender' turned out to be an older woman. Streaks of gray broke up her black hair, and her face spoke of numerous years in the sun. In contrast, her red dress served to offset her deeply tanned skin.

He quickly stepped up to the bar and noticed that save for Benton and himself, there was only one other person sitting at the far edge of the bar. A couple of old bar stools also flanked the bar, but Race decided it would be better to stand.

"¿Americanos Del Norte?"

Race realized the question had come from the bartender. His knowledge of Spanish was a bit rusty, so he chose to nod in reply.

For his efforts, the woman gave a hearty laugh and spoke in perfect English. "Well, it is good to see to see some fresh blood in from the states. You two need a couple of rooms?"

"Yeah, and a couple of dinners," Race smiled while looking around at the surroundings. "I take it that you aren't a native here."

She laughed again. "Got that right, sweet-cheeks. Name's Stella. Ran cargo by plane to this area from California for about ten years until the call of retirement lured me. I had a choice to settle somewhere, and I chose here. My Spanish sadly is textbook, but it's been enough to get me by. How about you two?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "My name is Race, and my friend's name is Dr. Quest. We need to get to the Serpent's Pyramid."

Stella froze. "You two want a guide - didn't Felix tell you about our current 'situation'?"

Dr. Quest, who had overheard the conversation, stepped forward. "Please, it's important that we reach the Pyramid. We are here to investigate strange things that are going on there."

"Yeah, like people and our guides disappearing?" Stella huffed before taking a nervous breath. "I'm sorry, that was not fair. People started disappearing from here about a month ago. Even Felix's son has gone missing from around here. It used to be this time of day, you'd find this place packed, now I'm lucky if the local police come in for a drink now and again."

Race chose his words carefully. "Well we had heard something about a snake cult operating from the area."

"Yeah, something like that." Stella frowned. "Look, I'm not one that goes looking for trouble, but you might as well be."

She pointed down the bar at the lone person sitting at the far end. "Talk to the kid over there. He's the only guide left in town and as far as I know. He's been to the pyramid plenty of times, and he's got the scars to prove it too."

Race nodded. "Thanks for the tip, Stella."

He stepped over and then slowly edged his way over to the far edge of the bar. When Race was within a few feet of the 'kid', he gave him an appraising glance. The guide seemed to be a teenager though his deeply tanned face, the multitude of scars on his face and short jet black hair hidden under a large green cap made him seem

even older. Race also noted the guide was dressed in a white tank top, green fatigues and black boots. Beside where he was sitting, a machete and shotgun were both leaned against the counter.

He stepped forward. "Um, my friend and I are looking for a guide into the jungle."

Startled, the young man rose from his bar stool and gave Race a hard glance. His voice was rough and low. "No entiendo inglés."

Race stepped back and called over his shoulder. "Benton, a little help here?"

Dr. Quest stepped forward and looked at their potential guide. Something nagged at his brain about all of this, but they were losing daylight and still needed to contact Jessie.

He put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "¿Cuál es su nombre?"

The young man looked up into his eyes. "Tomas."

He stepped back for a moment and looked over Tomas. Someone so young being a guide - but no one else seemed to be willing to help them. He asked in Spanish. "We need a guide to the Serpent's Pyramid. Can you take us?"

Tomas nodded simply. "Si. Mañana."

--  
Routine came and went for Phil, but something seemed different about this evening.

When the guard brought him his dinner and slipped through the lower slot in his cage, he found that the metal tray seemed a little lopsided. When Phil checked the underside of the tray, he found a small square envelope taped to the underside. He quickly glanced out in the hallway to make sure that no one was out there, then when he was satisfied, Phil ripped into the envelope.

He nearly chuckled when he brought out the tiny cell phone from it's hiding place. The small thing was about the size of two matchbooks placed end to end. Phil had heard of technology this small being developed, but it was another seeing it close up.

A small note was attached to the phone that read 'Activate and press 1.'

Phil did so. He heard a number dial, and what suspiciously sounded like the screeches and squeals of a dialup network conntection.

Moments later, all of the lights went out throughout the prison.

Sirens blared, klaxons sounded, and the electronic lock holding his cage closed gave way with a hiss. The door swung wide open.

Phil grinned. His benefactors sure knew how to make their presence known. He quickly disconnected the phone and stuffed it inside his orange prison jumpsuit, and then stepped out into the chaos.

--

It took close to twenty minutes and numerous fights, but Phil managed to work his way to the courtyard through thongs of fleeing and fighting felons. The chaos of the other prisoners escaping worked to his advantage.

The guards were outnumbered, so it was easy to find a corner of the courtyard that had not been overrun. The question was, what now?

As if to answer his question, the cell phone that he had chirped from his jumpsuit. Corvin took it out in some surprise and answered it. "And who do I have to thank for my freedom?"

The feminine voice purred over the line. "Mr. Corvin, you should know who by now, surely."

Oh, he knew all right. "Melana, I assume that this isn't a social call?"

He listened to Melana quickly outline a plan that he eagerly agreed to. After disconnecting with her, he quickly stuffed the phone back into its previous resting spot as a jet-black helicopter came into range of his position.

Phil Corvin smirked. This would be FUN.  
--  
After he and Race made arrangements and a time to meet with Tomas in the morning, they boarded the jeep the police had offered to them and headed back to the Dragonfly. Race had wanted to check in Jessie and let her know that they had arrived there safely, and Dr. Quest wanted to check on his equipment before they went to sleep for the night.

When Race entered the craft and headed toward the cargo area, he heard a loud beeping noise, and realized that it was Jessie trying to get in touch with them. "Benton, bring up the satlink will ya? It sounds like Jessie has been trying to reach us."

Benton quickly headed towards the cockpit and flipped a switch. "Jessie, come in please."

A video screen built into the dashboard of the cockpit flared to life, and it showed Jessie, excited and seemingly eager to impart news. "What took you? I have been trying to reach you and dad for hours!"

"We had a nightmare getting through customs," Race quipped as he joined Benton in the cockpit.

They could see Jessie grabbing a notebook and a newspaper. "Let me grab my information. Dr. Quest, I did the digging about the different Inca, Mayan, and Aztec tribes as you requested."

Race raised an eyebrow at Dr. Quest, who merely shrugged. "She wanted to help, and I knew that we would be too busy prepping for the trip. Jessie, go ahead and shoot that information to the dragonfly's onboard computers."

"Right away." Jessie typed in the terminal as she made notes and sent the information, but stopped when she heard a beeping noise. Race watched as his daughter read the newly displayed information and gasp.

"Jess, what's wrong?"

"Dad - you will never believe this. Phil Corvin has escaped federal custody!"

Race felt his pulse quicken. This nightmare was definitely real. Corvin had betrayed everyone by assisting Zin with his schemes. He thought that I-1 and the feds had him taken care of.

Dr. Quest's voice betrayed his own emotion. "Jessie, to be safe, please make sure that IRIS is set at the system's highest security setting for the next few days."

Jessie's voice through the satlink was panicked now. "Dad?"

Race did his best to reassure his daughter. "It'll be ok, Jess. Do as Dr. Quest says. There's no telling what Corvin will be willing to do now that he's free. I want you to stay safe."

They said their goodbyes, and then Race turned off the communicator. "Well this trip is already more than we bargained for. Let's get back to town and get some sleep. We will need an early start tomorrow."

Dr. Quest and Race secured the plane for the night and left in their jeep.

--

From the bushes nearby the dilapidated control tower, Tomas watched them go. All was going well so far, but tomorrow would be the true test. He settled down, leaning against the building with shotgun in hand and soon fell asleep.


	4. Old Enemies, New Dangers

_The Smithsonian Information Center is a pretty cool looking building in Washington DC, but has no botany department (as far as I know, that is. That was purely for this story. For a cool view of the building, Google Smithsonian and once at the main site, click on the museums link. The building should be the last one listed.)_

_**Serpent's Kiss  
**__An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Fic  
by Time Guardian_

_Chapter 4 _

_Old Enemies, New dangers  
_-----------------------------

_Smithsonian Information Center, __Washington __DC_-

Dressed entirely in black, Phil Corvin stepped onto the grounds of the main information building of the Smithsonian institution. The fact that it looked like a castle wasn't lost on him - it seemed like this whole twisted plan seemed to revolve around historical landmarks and old buildings.

Melana had told him that this was where he was supposed to find some plants. Grumbling, he assumed a confident position, and strode up the walkway to the front entrance. The sun was setting, and he had only escaped from the federal prison he was in hours ago, but it felt good to be back in action.

He saw two employees flanking the entrance, cordoning off the area and putting up the closed sign for the night. The doors themselves still seemed to be open.

Phil plastered a smile on his face and quickly walked forward. "Excuse me-"

The younger of the two, a woman in a blue Institue uniform, stepped forward. "Sir, tours ended over two hours ago."

He grabbed for a black case from his pocket and quickly flashed what would hopefully pass as believable ID. "Race Bannon, Intelligence-one. We have reason to believe that a robbery attempt will be made tonight on your institute."

The other employee, an older man, took a long hard look at the ID and scoffed. "Mister - Bannon is it? I have been working at the institute for about twenty years now, and in all of that time, we have not had a single-"

Phil shook his head, and grabbed for some items from his back pocket. he didn't have the time for this.

He palmed a yellow phial from his pocket and smashed it, holding his breath.

The two employees had no time to react. Coughing, they both sunk to the ground, and Corvin quickly stepped over both of them. When his contact had offered up the little phials of gas, he thought the Zin sisters had gone nuts, but seeing them in action quickly changed his mind.

His target was on the second floor.

Quickly rushing up the stairs, Corvin ducked around two startled guards and then broke into a full run to the end of the hall. When he saw the sign that proudly proclaimed 'Botany Department', he knew he had found the right place.

Phil ducked into the nearby doorway, and was greeted by the sight of rows and rows of plants.

_Great, like finding a needle in a haystack_.

He heard noises from the hall. The guards were coming, and he was running out of time.

It was then that Phil noticed the different labels on the different plant beds, and each were separated by region. Perfect.

He ran up and down the rows until he found the plants from the South American region. Soon, he saw the plants that Melana had described in her phone call.

"There he is!"

Corvin ducked behind the elevated plant rows as gunshots rang out through the room. He risked a quick hand up to grab two of the pots, and brought them down close to him.

_Now to get out of here_.

He kept low, reaching the end of the plant row he was on. Phil couldn't see any sign of the guards that were shooting at him, which was just as well. They were probably searching the rows, trying to converge on his position.

There was a metal door in the corner from where he was. It was unmarked, but if it wasn't locked, maybe it would take him someplace better than here. Phill decided to take the chance.

Standing quickly, he ran at the door, and found that it gave easily, only for a siren to start blaring all around him. Great, trust him to find the fire exit. Quickly, he climbed up the flight of stairs he found and soon was greeted by what looked like a old skylight.

After finding no visible signs of a way to open the skylight, Phil made one by kicking out one of the panes of glass. He quickly scrambled through, carefully avoiding the jagged glass.

It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the low night of the night, and the illumination of the various spotlights places all over the roof. That was when he spotted the helicopter that he was told about was hovering about a foot away from the top of the roof. Quickly, Corvin edged his way over to the rope ladder that dangled down. A big man dressed entirely in black seemed to stand guard over the ladder. When he approached, the man grabbed the two pots that were in Phil's hands, and placed them into a large bag that he had beside him. "Thank you for your assistance, Corvin. Melana and Anya ask that you wait in Washington for further instructions."

"Wait my ass," Phil growled, "What am I supposed to do, wait around here till I get my head shot off?"

Clutching the bag tightly in one arm, the man wrapped his other arm and legs around the ladder.

Corvin tried rushing the helicopter, but the pilot chose at that point to ascend higher. The downward rush of air coupled with the surprise cause him to tumble hard on the roof.

As he managed to stand, he watched as the helicopter took off with the flowers in question. They wouldn't let him come along? Fine, he would just have to make the best of his freedom.

Phil positioned himself on the roof behind one of the raised spires and took out the cell phone that his contact had given him. After activating the built-in voice recognition dialer, he waited for a few moments.

"Yes, Trans-American airlines? My name is Mr. Johnson. I need to book the next available flight to Maine."

* * *

The next afternoon, Jessie Bannon shrugged off a rainy sky as Mrs. Evans finally drove her home from school. After finding that she had aced her chemistry and Latin exams, Jessie was ready for an evening of computer games and ice cream, even though Jonny and Hadji were not there. She didn't mind too much - that meant more mint chocolate chip ice cream for her. 

They walked into the foyer of the main house while Mrs. Evans shrugged out of her raincoat. "Jessie, make sure IRIS is set for the night before you do anything else."

"I'm on it," Jessie called out.

She quickly went into the living room conference area where the nearest terminal was located, built into the conference table. When Jessie reached the terminal though, she was shocked to find another message - this one sending a chill through her: **_Intruder Alert_**.

She didn't understand - there should be more noise than this. Dr. Quest occasionally tested the system for tweaking purposes, and she knew well enough from experience that noise it generated could be heard well from Lighthouse Point, which meant someone knew the system worked and disabled it.

-_Corvin- _

She looked around wildly and shouted. "Mrs. Evans!"

Normally the housekeeper would have brought them a drink while she got started on her homework, but silence greeted her call.

Jessie desperately typed in the commands she was taught, trying anything to get the system to respond properly, but the terminal sat there almost mockingly, and no additional noise could be heard.

_Great_, she thought, _what do I do now? If I go look for Mrs. Evans, I could be walking into a trap, but still - _

She stood up carefully, shifting her gaze left and right. A plan was quickly forming in her mind, but Jessie hoped that Corvin didn't bring any friends with him. She called out to the air, hoping that he was hanging on her every word.

"Mrs. Evans, tell you what, I am a little too full from lunch today, so I don't need a snack. I am going to go up to the lighthouse for a while, maybe even email Hadji. Don't wait dinner for me."

Jessie moved slowly and deliberately towards the stairs. She had a computer in her room; she could check out the security system, secure her room and wait it out till help arrived.

She had only gone up a few of the steps before she heard a voice.

"Tut, Tut Jessie. It isn't nice to lie to your elders."

Jessie looked around wildly, but didn't see anyone.

"Below you!"

A hand snaked out and grabbed her ankle. With a cry Jessie tumbled backwards and down the stairs. She landed hard on the floor, knocking the breath out of her.

Before she could react, Corvin's hand closed painfully around her arm, and Jessie found herself unceremoniously dragged to her feet.

Jessie squirmed in his grasp. "What do you plan on doing with me?"

Phil smirked. "Well, finding you here is a bonus, but I figured I'd borrow a plane from the good doctor and head on over to South America to have a nice chat with your father and Dr. Quest."

Jessie's eyes widened. "How did you-"

He shook his head and growled. "I hacked the house's security systems and Dr. Quest's itenary. It pays to have visited this place before. Keep up, will you? The Zin sisters pay well. They broke me out of prison, they had me pull a job for them, and now since I found out where the two people are going that ruined my life, I am going to settle things, once and for all."

Jessie had to do something, anything - there had to be something she could try on him that he hadn't seen yet.

Grinning, she came up with a split-second plan.

Jessie faked a swoon, and sank straight down on her knees to the ground. As she expected, Phil let go of her arm, and when he did, she made her move.

Crouching, she struck out with her right leg, knocking Corvin off of his feet. Jessie didn't chance a glance back, she turned and made a break for the front door. She had to get out of the house somehow.

Corvin's taunting voice came from behind her. "Jessie! Why don't you make it easier on yourself? Give it up. The doors are locked."

She reached the front door, and sure enough, she found it locked. The door was wired into the security system, so Jessie supposed that Corvin had locked every door he could get his hands on.

But there was one set of doors that weren't part of the system.

Jessie turned and ran for the French doors in the living room. She was happy to find that they opened easily, so she barreled right through the opening and onto the path that would take her up to Lighthouse Point.

* * *

She was nearly out of breath once she reached the door to the lighthouse. It was a thick heavy wooden door, and Jessie prayed that it would be able to hold off Corvin long enough. 

Stumbling inside the light house, she shut the door and bolted it, then as an afterthought, she grabbed hold of a heavy table sitting nearby and dragged it in front of the door.

Once done, Jessie took the nearby stairs two at a time until she reached the lab.

_Wham!_

She heard a loud noise at the lighthouse door. Corvin was trying to break-in!

Jessie figured that she had ten minutes at the most. Quickly she took a seat near a terminal and grabbed the nearby phone.

There was no dial tone. Apparently Corvin had too much time on his hands while he was here.

Jessie then turned her attention to the terminal she was sitting in front of. After trying a few preliminary commands, she found that except for the security system, the rest of it was working. Quickly, she fired off a video message to the local police, and then she tried to call Hadji. She was quickly disappointed when she saw that it was Hadji's mother Neela that had answered the call.

Without any preamble, Jessie asked. "Is Hadji there?"

"He is enroute to New Delhi, meeting with officials from other provinces of India. Why, is there something wrong?"

Wrong? What could be wrong? A man who nearly killed her father and Dr. Quest was on the grounds and apparently she was next and was running out of time.

Jessie took a quick breath and did her best to sound calm. "No, there's nothing wrong. Tell him the next email from me will be late but I will catch up as soon as I can."

Before Neela could question the weird message, Jessie cut the transmission. The banging on the lighthouse door was growing more severe by the moment and she knew her time was short. If she wasn't going to be able to avoid meeting up with Corvin again, maybe she could even the odds. Dr. Quest would already be on his way to the pyramid by this time, so she wouldn't be able to get an audio message to him via the satellites, but-

She quickly typed into the terminal, bringing up a tracer program that Dr. Quest had a hand in developing. In addition to the research that Dr. Quest had asked for, Jessie decided to run a trace on where Jonny's supposed message had come from. It had taken the better part of the day, but when the results came back, she was shocked to learn that the message had come from a GPS unit, a type of model that isn't normally supposed to be able to send messages like the one they received.

Jessie smiled. _It has to be Jonny. He's the only I know who would hack a GPS unit just to get a message home. _

Using the address information she had obtained from the trace, she sent a quick message, and had just sat back in satisfaction when the door to the lighthouse splintered open.

She stood up, and looking around, chose to hide in the small space between the mainframe and the wall of the room. Jessie still had a full view of the main floor, and she willed herself to stay as still as possible.

Minutes later, she saw Phil Corvin step into the room. He looked around for a moment, and found the terminal that Jessie had been using. "Been busy have we? You know, it's way too late for anyone to help you now."

Jessie shook her head. She was getting tired of his taunting. "They know you are coming, Corvin. What do you say to that?"

She saw Phil smile and grab for a gas mask and a phial out of one of his pockets. "I think it's time to even the odds in MY favor."

Before Jessie could move, he quickly slammed the phial on the ground, and then put on his mask.

From her hiding place, Jessie stared in alarm as a yellowish vapor floated upwards from the broken tube. _-I can't stay behind here forever.- _

Holding her breath, she stepped out of her hiding place and lunged out at Corvin with a high kick, trying to gain enough room to get past him. Disappointment surged through her as he quickly grabbed for her leg and pulled. With her equilibrium broken, she fell hard to the ground. The breath that she had been holding escaped through a groan.

She had no choice, her body was screaming for oxygen. Jessie breathed in, and moments later she felt herself slip into a bottomless void.

Through the mask, Phil chuckled as he picked up Jessie's limp form. "Now let's go find one of Dr. Quest's planes, shall we?"


	5. Secrets

_Note: the events of this chapter are happening about the same time frame as the events in the last part of the previous chapter. There's are clues abound as well. Made some edits to the last chapter of Shattered Memories and the previous chapter of this work, to correct that Hadji's mother's name is Neela. I got a little crazy and alternated between Nala and Neela by mistake. Thanks Goddess Evie. :) _

**Serpent's Kiss**  
An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
by Time Guardian

_Chapter 5 - Secrets_

As agreed upon, Dr. Quest and Race met Tomas in the town square in the morning. They packed up their supplies into  
the jeep that the Sergeant had loaned them, and Race took the driver's seat.

"Damn Benton, this bucket of bolts is older than dirt. I'll be surprised if she can start."

Tomas took the seat beside Race, wearing the same outfit he had yesterday. He had his machete tied to his belt, and in his hands, he carried the same shotgun Race had seen yesterday. Dr. Quest got into the back of the jeep,  
dressed in khaki shorts and shirt.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Race. Just be thankful we don't have to walk all of the way there. Tomas  
tells me that we will be able to go about five miles by jeep before we have to walk, so we should take full  
advantage."

Race started the jeep, and after a few false starts, the engine flared to life. He put the jeep into gear, and  
headed towards the side road that would take them into the jungle canopy.

--

Race grumbled as he carefully maneuvered the jeep for the five miles. There were many times he had to slow the  
jeep down to a crawl to maneuver through the uneven terrain, and more than once Tomas would motion for them to stop  
so that they could avoid hitting monkeys and other animals of various sizes. He had been on a couple of digs with  
Estella when they were still married, and some of those roads were cakewalks compared to this one.

Benton had remained silent for much of the journey, and left to his own devices, Race reviewed what he knew about  
the daughters of Zin, which regrettably added up to one big goose egg. It had been Jonny that had told him what  
little he knew. Zin had been a busy man indeed, and for him to teach everything he knew to two protégés, it seemed  
like double trouble would be the least of their worries.

He stole a glance over at Tomas, and noted that he was staring intently out at the terrain ahead. The boy didn't  
have his cap on today, and Race noticed the piercing stare of the boy's eyes - probably because Tomas had turned to  
look straight at him.

"Race, look out!"

Race had regrettably let his mind wander and the speed of the Jeep increase, but at Dr. Quest's warning, he looked  
forward and let out a string of curses.

Two hooded figures stood in the middle of their path.

"Hang on!" He slammed on the brakes and quickly manipulated the gears. For his efforts, the old jeep groaned and  
shifted sideways. For the last few seconds, the force of the sudden stop made the jeep nearly tip upward on it's  
side, but Race managed to shift his weight, and the vehicle reluctantly gave up its efforts, falling back onto all  
four tires with a metallic bounce.

He took in a shaky breath and turned to Benton and Tomas. "Everyone ok?"

Dr. Quest pried his hands of the seat of his jeep. "I'm fine. What the-"

Race was shocked as Tomas got out of the vehicle and went up to the two mysterious figures. They were too far away  
to hear anything, but judging by Tomas and his hand gestures, they were having a very intense conversation.

--

After a few minutes, Tomas returned to the jeep talking excitedly. The two hooded figures had disappeared into the  
jungle, but judging by what the boy was saying, Benton Quest groaned and made a move to leave the Jeep. "According to Tomas, those two were scouting the pyramid to keep an eye on it for the Police. They are reporting that there's  
major movement going on. We've also reached the end of the road. Time for us to take a hike."

Race came around and helped with the gear, and soon they had set off from their jeep. Benton tried to gauge how  
long they had traveled, and judging by the time on his watch, it was already well into the afternoon. The backpacks  
that he and Race wielded had to have weighed thirty pounds at least.

The path that Tomas had them follow turned out to be a narrow, rocky expanse, barely passable for one person, let  
alone three people. Ahead, Tomas' pace never slowed, and often he stopped to allow him and Race to catch up.

Hours later, through the gaps in the forest canopy, Benton could see that the hour had grown quite late and he  
could barely even see the sun now.

"I think we should make camp for the night. I don't know about you, but I would rather not tackle that  
pyramid in the dark."

Race, who had stopped to take a long drink from his water bottle agreed with the plan. "If we set up a good secure  
camp, we should be safe."

--

As darkness fell, Race sat outside his impromptu lean-to shelter and heartily dug into the baked beans that had been  
part of their rations. Across from him, Tomas and Dr. Quest sat side by side, eating their dinner as well.

Between bites, Benton formed a plan. "According to Tomas, we are about a mile out from the pyramid. To be safe, we  
will take turns standing guard through the night. We don't know how many henchmen the Zin sisters have recruited  
after all."

He nodded. "We need as much of an advantage as we can get. I'll stand the first watch."

The trio then lapsed into silence. Moments later, Benton soon stood up and announced his intention to get some rest.

Race cast aside the remnants of dinner and stood up. He would patrol the perimeter of their campsite  
until his friend was ready to take over. He had just reached the outer perimeter of the camp site when a beeping  
sound made Race turn around. It had been coming from Tomas' pack.

He stepped aside into a large bush and used it to observe Tomas. Race noticed Tomas scrambled for his pack in  
surprise, like he hadn't been expecting the noise. He continued to watch as the boy reached in and grab a small  
device. From his vantage point, Race has supposed that it looked like a GPS device.

Alarm bells rang in his head. Suddenly, Race had an urge to corner Tomas. Something was not right.

--  
The beeping had panicked him.

Tomas had grabbed the GPS unit out of his bag, and tried to scout around for a place to check out the unit in  
peace. A few yards away from the campsite, he thought he found it when he discovered a small open semicircular  
area half hidden by rocks and small trees.

He walked into the center of the circle and held the GPS unit close to him. He had deliberately modified the unit to be able to send and receive messages. It had been a gift to him from a pilot he had befriended while in India. The man had told him that it would come in handy considering all of the miles he needed to travel.

While he was journeying from India over to England, he had made the necessary modifications. Electronics had been  
a side hobby while he had been in Zin's service - something that he told no one about. He finalized his plans when  
he made the final hop from England to South America. Cargo planes, depending on who you asked, always needed a few extra hands, and usually with no questions asked. For his efforts, Tomas netted a bit of spending money and the  
transportation he needed.

When he had finally arrived in South America, he set his plans in motion. He made the journey to La Entrada,  
befriended the local guides, and finally got his first look at the pyramid that he had come after.

It was then he had sent the message. Thing was - no one was supposed to know that he could be reached.

When he cycled through the last few entries, he saw where he got the coordinates of the pyramid, the message he had sent,  
and then finally:

_J -_

_Corvin out and on his way to you. Warn our dads. Be careful._

_J_

He let out a sharp breath, and put his head into his hands. Things had gone wrong in such a short time. What was he going to do? Was it time to reveal his information?

The answer had come not as he expected. He had been so engrossed at the contents of the message that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings.

A gun cocked behind him, and then he quickly felt the cool metal of a gun barrel being placed right against his neck.


	6. Belated Confessions

_Note: I am terrible in keeping secrets, as you saw in the previous chapter, but there has to be emotional fallout on both sides for this, and I hope I conveyed it in this chapter._

**Serpent's Kiss**  
An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
by Time Guardian

Chapter 6- Belated Confessions

Tomas froze as he felt the cold metal of the gun barrel against his neck. Focusing, he could also hear the heavy breathing of his intruder along with the scent of one of Stella's meals recently eaten on the intruder's breath. He had spent too long in the jungle not to recognize a few things, especially certain people.

He kept his voice as calm as he could, reverting to the language that he hadn't used in weeks. "Felix, what are you doing?"

Felix's voice was agitated, bordering on panic-stricken. "Where is my son? You came, you promised you would help make things right, get back the people that the pyramid stole, but it has been at least two weeks since you made that promise, and Miguel is not back! I want my SON!"

He felt a sense of helplessness. When he had come to town, he had already disguised himself for fear of the town not letting him roam free to scout the area, and he had befriended Felix one evening in Stella's place.

Tomas could tell that the man's pain ran deep, and it had affected him more than he cared to admit. There was many a night Tomas would sit in his room in Stella's place and stare out at the moon. He had come so far to try and eradicate the evil that had nearly ruined his life, and he questioned his purpose more than once, and homesickness nearly made him nearly abandon his plans altogether.

"Felix, I told you. Much evil radiates from that place. Miguel can be saved, but we have to be careful, or it will get us too. Two ladies are trying to harness that evil, and need to be stopped. The people I am with now are people that can help us. They have the means to help us defeat the evil."

He could sense Felix's hesitation before he finally felt the gun barrel lift away from his neck. Felix then stepped around and into Tomas' view. He looked pained as he holstered his gun at his hip. "I am sorry. My anger -"

He understood what was driving Felix's anger. "No need for apologies, my friend. I understand far more than you know. You are afraid for your son. I have a father I left behind by choice, and I know that he is probably angry and worried with me for doing so."

The man's eyes widened as he regarded Tomas once more, the realization allowing him to draw a conclusion. "Señor Quest is your father."

He grinned. "Your powers of observation are as good as ever, my friend. My only problem now is how to tell my father."

In response, Felix solemnly put a hand on Tomas' shoulder. "Fathers love. It's something we do, no matter what. Heed my words."

And with that, he walked out of the clearing and back into the cover of the night.

Tomas let out the nervous breath he had been holding. If only his situation was that simple.

He made a move to leave the circle when he heard one of the three voices that he had been dreading to hear.

"You know, that Felix is smarter than he lets on."

Turning around quickly, he saw Race Bannon step into the clearing.

Tomas suppressed a grimace as he realized that his cover was blown. He sighed. Might as well get the confessions over with. "How much did you hear?"

--

To his credit, Race kept his face impassive, but inside he was wanting to shake the boy until he came to his senses. He had scouted outward from the campsite until he heard the sound of voices, and when he had found the clearing, Race had listened to Felix's conversation. "I heard enough."

Tomas looked up into Race's eyes and gave a wry smile. "So what happens now? Are you going to tell dad?"

Race motioned over to two of the larger rocks towards the edge of the clearing. He walked over and sat on one, while Tomas sat on the other. "Well, first of all, I would like a few answers, but to answer your second question first, I am going to leave that up to you, Jonny."

Tomas took a liberating breath. "Fine by me. I was getting tired of taking a berry bath every other day to keep this disguise up. I just hope these berries aren't as long lasting as the ones you used that time when you pretended that you were a water god to save dad."

He laughed at the memory. Race had been purple for quite a few weeks before the berries finally wore off. "I think with a little elbow grease, you'll be back to normal." He then sobered. "Why, Jonny? Why did you do this alone? You could have brought us in on this much earlier than this."

Race watched as Jonny Quest's gaze trailed to the ground, then to the sky. Precious minutes went by before the boy finally answered. "Zin and his daughters are my problem. They tried to turn me into an emotionless assassin, and I wasn't going to allow them to hurt the one good thing I regained after five years of that Hell."

He let out a breath. This didn't sound like someone who wanted vengeance and yet a suspicion grew in the back of his mind. Race thought about it for a moment and then made a decision to voice his suspicion.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Jonny."

--

The simple statement had it's effect. Jonny Quest nearly fell off the rock that he had been sitting on. He turned and scowled at Race. "What makes you think I am afraid?"

Jonny noticed that in the moonlight, Race's features weren't ones of an angry man. In fact, Race looked downright worried. It was a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"Kiddo, look at all you have been through in the course of over five years. You were torn away from the only family you ever knew, assimilated into a family that used you for their own ends, and then reunited with us. I don't know about you, but I would have been scared out of mind that something else would come along and try and tear my life apart."

Jonny digested the analysis and after a few moments, he reluctantly nodded. "For the first time after all of that happened, when I came to live with you guys after I got out of the hospital, I felt at home and at peace."

Race went on. "You know, your father moved to Maine because he couldn't bear to be at Palm Key anymore. 'Too many bad memories' he had said. I left I-1 and your father to be alone for a while in Colorado. You see, you aren't the only one with fears. I had left because I was afraid that I had let your father down."

He sat in stunned silence at Race's confession. He never knew any of this. Jonny's voice nearly broke - there was something pressing on his mind that he had to know. "Race - my dad, how is he holding up?"

Jonny heard a sigh emanate from him. "I know you didn't mean to, Jonny, but when we reached that building that we had received your last signal from - your dad relived what had happened that day you were kidnapped at Palm Key, and it nearly did him in."

When he had heard that, Jonny cast his gaze downward to the ground.

--

Race saw the guilt and regret wash over Jonny's face, and knew that everything would be all right. He also thought he finally understood Benton's comment about the power of family. Leaning over, he moved closer to Jonny before trying to reassure him.

"Jonny, do you want to know what I told your father after all was said and done? I told him that I believed that you weren't dead, and that you have a good head on your shoulders. I saw that much with your conversation with Felix. You may be a bit impetuous sometimes, but your dad and I still care about you, not to mention two worried friends who will be mad they missed this reunion. You don't have to be alone anymore."

Jonny looked up, and Race saw the beginnings of a smile on his face. "Thanks Race."

And with that, Jonny stood and wrapped his arms around Race's neck in a fierce hug.

Race laughed for a few moments before Jonny let go. "Danged it all if you don't have a strong grip. Now, for my final question: That beeping that I had heard from your pack - you received a message, didn't you?"

He saw Jonny thinking for a moment. "The GPS! I almost forgot - Jessie managed to send me a message only a little while ago. We may have trouble."

Jonny handed him what looked like a GPS unit. Race noticed some of the modification to the unit and nearly whistled in appreciation until he read the message that Jonny had brought up. "Jessie traced you down quicker than we did, though this bothers me - she wouldn't know his plans unless -"

Race didn't want to finish that sentence. He was a world away from his daughter, and helplessness washed over him.

Sounds of gunshots broke him from his thoughts. Race quickly stood, his senses on alert. "Are we under attack?"

Jonny closed his eyes. He listened as more gunshots ensued. He then opened his eyes as he realized the source of the sound. "I had a few of the local police patrolling the perimeter for us. They must be under attack! C'mon Race, let's go!"


	7. Siege in the Jungle

_**Serpent's Kiss  
**__An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Fic  
by Time Guardian_

Chapter 7 - _Siege in the Jungle _

Anya checked on their prisoners, and then returned to the computer to look over her father's notes. She had managed to make radio contact with the plane carrying the flowers they needed, and was told that they would arrive in a matter of two hours.

The two way radio that she had clipped to her belt flared to life. "Mistress Anya!"

The voice was of one of her field spies. She and her sister had recruited numerous men that had served their father faithfully. She grabbed for the radio, and quickly activated it. "What is it?"

"We have found a camp about two miles from here. Dr. Quest is here!"

Anya smiled. So the father was coming to finish what the son could not - this could benefit them quite nicely.

She spoke into her radio. "Send the disciples to pick up Dr. Quest, and have them bring him back here."

A pause, and then an acknowledgement. "Yes, Mistress Anya."

She smiled as she placed the radio back on her belt. While Anya had spent their first few days there deciphering the clues within the pyramid, Melana had taken the control drug that Zin had used on Jonny Quest and strengthened it. They had tested it on some of the prisoners with some interesting results.

She smiled as she turned back to reading her father's notes. -_Let's see the good doctor fight against our disciples.- _

--

Jonny edged his way just outside of the clearing and listened intently. Sporadic bursts of gunfire could still be heard all around them.

He turned to Race, speaking low. "I don't suppose you brought a gun with you?"

Race shook his head wryly. "I thought I was going on a quick recon."

Jonny grimaced. "My stuff is back at camp too. Felix had told me he brought three men with him. Those two hooded guys I was speaking with earlier were part of his group. Maybe we should get back to camp to get some weapons so we can help them out."

Race nodded in agreement. "We can help level the playing field a little, but we will need to keep it quiet. We don't need to be drawing too much attention to ourselves."

--

Dr. Quest had been asleep when the gunfire came.

He sat straight up from a sound sleep and listened intently. As his eyes got accustomed to the moonlit night, he realized two things - Race and Tomas were gone, and he wasn't alone.

Rustling noises from the surrounding trees unnerved him, and Dr. Quest scrambled to his feet quickly. His pack was right beside where he had slept, and quickly searching through it, he found a large flashlight and switched it on. He used it's broad beam to help guide him as he stepped outside of his shelter, sweeping his flashlight beam across the area.

Nothing. The rustling he had only heard seconds before had died off, along with the gunfire he had heard.

Dr. Quest walked a few more steps and then stopped. No doubt about it, Tomas and Race were nowhere in sight.

He decided to chance calling out for them. "Race! Tomas!"

Still nothing.

All of a sudden, Dr. Quest felt a hand grab each of his arms, and he dropped the flashlight in surprise. He tried to struggle, but it was as if the people that were holding him had a grip of iron. "Let me go!"

No matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free. Dr. Quest weighed his options, and much as he hated to admit it, there were few choices left for him.

He took a breath, and then reluctantly allowed his unknown captors to lead him away.

--

Jonny led the way out of the clearing and back onto a small path as he and Race started back towards camp.

They had only gone a few feet when two men attempted to ambush them. Armed with machine guns, they had stepped onto the path on either side of them, effectively cutting off their escape.

One of the men chuckled. "what luck we have tonight."

"Indeed," the other one replied. "Now, you two aren't going to going to give us any trouble are you?"

Jonny turned to the one behind him, backing himself up until he and Race were back to back. "Oh, I don't know. We usually aren't that much trouble, right Race?"

He heard Race chuckle. "Nah, we're no trouble at all. We will still kick your butt just the same. Jonny, now!"

With that, Jonny unleashed a high kick that quickly disarmed his guy, while Race went for a left hook that dropped his guy to the ground.

The man that faced Jonny cursed as a wave of pain went through his arm from where he was forced to drop his weapon. "I'll make you pay for that!"

Jonny smiled at the taunt. "Bring it on."

Enraged, The man charged him blindly. When he was in range, Jonny unleashed a roundhouse kick that sent the man hurtling backwards to the ground unconscious.

He turned around. "Are you ok, Race?"

Jonny saw that Race was massaging his fist, but his friend and mentor was all smiles. "Nothing that some ice wouldn't cure. That guy sure had a stone jaw."

A noise from further up the path then caught Jonny's attention. He motioned to Race, and they quietly proceeded forward on the moonlit path.

A few yards ahead, the path branched off. Jonny stopped for a moment and listened. From the left hand side of the branched path, it sounded like multiple people running through the forest.

He led Race quietly for a few minutes down the left hand branch of the path until they just caught sight of two figures running away quickly. The men both seemed to be armed, and in a big hurry.

Jonny shook his head and tensed up. "Those mean aren't with Felix. I don't like this, Race. If they are this close to us, that means they might find our camp. We need to head them off."

Race saw what Jonny was about to do and tried to hold him back. "Jonny! Don't!"

However, he paid no heed. Jonny ducked under Race's arm and on ahead. He tried to be mindful of his surroundings, knowing that unnecessary noise would ruin whatever chance he had to take the two men down.

Jonny followed the two for a little over a mile before he noticed that they had stopped ahead. He then quickly stepped off the path and out of their view. As Jonny leaned against one of the taller trees, trying to think of a good way to surprise them, he noticed that a cluster of long vines were hanging from the massive tree that he was leaning against.

Smirking, Jonny came up with the makings of a wild and crazy plan.

--

Race headed in the direction that Jonny took off in, making a mental note to have another conversation with the boy in terms of his impetuousness. He had to admit though, Jonny's conditioning had left him astounded. He had covered nearly a mile in the jungle by his estimation and Race still had yet to catch up to him.

He was keeping his eyes out when he saw the two men ahead that had been the subject of their chase. Their backs were to him, so Race dived towards the trees to the right hand side of the path before they could turn around.

Race caught his breath, and tried to quickly assess the situation. Jonny was nowhere in sight. He could take one down easily, but the other-

The low growling voice from behind him interrupted his plans, along with the gun barrel that someone kept nudging into his back. "Hands up."

Seeing little choice, Race stood up, and then stepped back out onto the path.

The guy holding the gun on him called out to his other two comrades. "Hey! Lookie what I found in the bushes."

As the other two turned around, Race could hear a sound above him. He looked up, and his eyes widened.

A few trees over, he could just barely make out something or someone swinging their way, and the sound was getting louder as well.

"Slammmmmmmmminnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"

Before anyone could react, the figure had careened wildly into the two men in front of Race, sending them both to the ground.

Race grinned as he realized who the swinger was. Taking advantage of the distraction, he ducked low as he turned around, then exploded upwards with a flying uppercut that sent the man guarding him collapsing to the ground.

Shaking his head, Race then leaned down to pick up one of the machine guns that the three henchmen had dropped. "Next time, Jonny, how about letting me in on your plans? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Jonny grinned as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. His impromptu Tarzan act had its desired effect - the two men he had tackled were out cold. "I was just improvising, Race. If I remember right, you were pretty - good at it. Race, don't move."

Race froze as Jonny's voice trailed off, and his grin vanished. "What is it, Jonny?"

--

Jonny put a finger to his lips, then leaned down and picked up the other machine gun. He quickly pantomimed what he hoped Race could understand. _-There's an enemy in the bushes behind you and he's armed.- _

When Race nodded, Jonny let out a breath. The problem was, how were they going to draw this intruder out?

They got their answer when a shotgun blast came their way, just missing them by inches. Race ducked in one direction as Jonny rolled in the other.

The figure that had shot at him stepped out onto the path. In the moonlight, Jonny could see that with the exception of a darker shirt, the person was dressed just like him, and yet he looked to be about his age.

Jonny stared in astonishment. _-He is one of the missing guides.- _

"Jonny, get out of the way, he's going to shoot!"

Race's voice cut through his mental fog, and Jonny realized too late that the boy had raised his shotgun again and was targeting him head on.

Jonny still had the machine gun that he had taken from one of the goons that they tackled. He raised it into firing position. He didn't want to do this, but if he had to defend himself-

"Miguel!"

The shout had come from the tress behind the boy, and seconds later, Jonny saw Felix barrel out from the cover of the trees and tackle Miguel on one side, forcing him to the ground. Race saw his chance, and ran over to help the man.

Felix held down one of his son's arms while Race held down the other. Jonny pried away the shotgun away from the boy's grasp and stepped away, and yet he was bothered by how Miguel was reacting.

In the moonlight, he could see that the boy's eyes still held a murderous intent, and he thrashed wildly.

"Race," Jonny said quietly, "he's been drugged."

Race looked at Miguel. "It looks like it. But what can we do?"

Felix answered their question by grabbing at an item from his pocket, and placing it under his son's nose.

Miguel's thrashing soon slowed, and then after a few minutes, the young boy's eyes closed and soon he was asleep.

Sighing, the man released his son's arm. "We have encountered the drugged in town before, trying to take other people for the pyramid." Felix picked up the item, which Jonny recognized as a small cloth bundle, and he could just faintly make out a sweet smell. "The sergeant's wife works with herbs and made us each these bundles. One good sniff puts a person to sleep."

He returned the item to his pocket and then stood up. "There's not much time. One of my men reported that Señor Quest has been taken to the pyramid."

Jonny tensed. Everything was falling apart around him. "Felix, what about Miguel, will he be all right?"

The man nodded. "The drug wears off, but it takes time. I will go lock him up and give him a chance to recover. The other men will stay in the jungle with you. Will you be all right for the rest of your journey?"

Jonny looked at Race, and then back to Felix. "Yeah. Thank you for all that you've done, my friend."

"My thanks are with you. It is because of you and your friend that I have my son back," he commented. Leaning over, Felix carefully picked Miguel in his arms. He nodded once to each of them and then took his leave, his unconscious son in his arms.

Jonny had watched him go until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Jonny, we better go. We need to get to the pyramid."

He turned around, and Race noted the haunted look in his eyes. "I was like Miguel. Pumped full of drugs-"

Race wished above all that Dr. Quest was there with them right now. He realized that Jonny was reliving what had happened in the past, but now wasn't the time for stuff like this. He put an arm around Jonny's shoulders.

"This nightmare will stop only if we can get to the pyramid, Jonny."

"I know." Jonny quietly replied before turning to head back the way they came. "Let's go, Race."

--

It took the better part of a half hour, but they backtracked and managed to reach camp. Race was thinking of plans they could do, but at the same time was worried about Jonny.

During the journey, the boy had muttered more than once. "If I hadn't left camp-"

Race finally cut him off curtly. "Don't think that way. We can get him back."

Sunlight was just beginning to peek out from the tops of the trees. He looked around the camp wearily and massaged the kinks from his neck as he began gathering his things. "What about the jungle, will we have a straight run at that pyramid?"

Jonny began packing provisions into his backpack, and grabbed for his weapons. "Felix's men can hold off any more stragglers out there. I've been to the pyramid only a handful of times, so I'm not sure how many more flunkies the Zin twins hired."

"Beautiful," Race quipped," Well Jonny, just to be on the safe side while we are in the pyramid, I think you should resume your role as Tomas."

Jonny looked at him with a quizzical expression. "Why? We've lost our element of surprise."

Race walked closer to Jonny and touched his berry-tinted skin. "Not nessecarily. Remember, the Zin sisters blew up that temple in India, and they probably thought they killed you in the process. What they don't know will hurt them, right?"

--

Dr. Quest struggled in his captors' grasp as they marched towards the stone pyramid. In the growing light of dawn, he did his best to observe what was around him, and what he saw shocked him.

On either side of him, there were men who had each of his arms in an iron grip. They were dressed unusually, as if they didn't belong here in the first place.

The tourists...of course! The police had told him there were tourists unaccounted for, but he shuddered to think how they were being controlled. Dr. Quest remembered how Jonny had been drugged by Zin and Corvin, and he was barely able to break through all of that, even with help.

The two had led him through a massive clearing, and Dr. Quest's eyes widened as he regarded the object for which he and Race had traveled so far for.

From his point of view, the old stone pyramid seemed to touch the sky. The sunlight that touched it's sides revealed hundreds of carvings, and the few that he could see all seemed to have something to do with snakes.

The two men holding him then took him to a side of the pyramid that did not even seem to have a door. They walked about halfway down the side and stopped. Dr. Quest watched as one of the men pressed the one of

the intricate snake carvings.

A noise, a rumble of stone, and a section of stone swung upward, revealing darkness within.

Dr. Quest felt a shove at his back, and reluctantly he walked into the interior of the pyramid, followed by his captors.

Moment's later, the door that had opened was closed once more when the section of stone that swung upward followed a reverse course and fell back into place.

The exterior of the Serpent's Pyramid was then quiet once more.


	8. Dangerous Reunion

-Just a reminder - the flower described here is a pure work of fiction. That is all I can say. Now on with the torture - um, I mean show. ;) This chapter is a little short, but with all of the questions about Jessie, I couldn't leave them unanswered now could I? -innocent look-

_**Serpent's Kiss  
**__An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Fic  
by Time Guardian_

Chapter 8  
_Dangerous reunion_

Melana bent over her work table deep in concentration. It had been a few hours since she left her sister ordering around the disciples and finalizing their plans.

She had just come from milking the snakes and taking their blood. It had been a simple matter to get them to the pyramid, but when she found that her sister wouldn't work with them, Melana nearly walked out on the plan.

Father had taught them to be afraid of nothing above all else.

Melana shook her head. If her sister wanted to be that way, then she wasn't about to stop her, especially since Anya was doing the research, something which she normally avoided above all else.

Through a series of injections, Melana combined the contents of the test tubes containing the venom and the blood and she then transferred the mixture into a third tube. Okay, everything was set, now they just needed the flowers Corvin obtained for them.

Footsteps sounded from behind her. Melana turned to find her sister standing there. "What is it?"

Anya was all business. "The flowers have arrived about a half hour ago, and our disciples have secured Dr. Quest, but we have another situation. Phil Corvin is landing a helicopter nearby as we speak."

She smirked. "Trust a man not to follow orders. Think he could be useful, Anya?"

Her sister smiled in reply. "Well, he did bring a hostage-"

* * *

Jessie Bannon had all of the makings of a ginormous headache. She took stock of her body - everything else seemed to feel fine, all except for her pounding head. Sounds came alive - strange noises - the thump thump of helicopter blades being the most unusual of the sounds.

Where the hell was she?

The last thing Jessie remembered, she was inside the main house of the Quest compound. She had come home from school and - Corvin!

Her eyes flew open, and she instantly regretted the move. Bright light surrounded her and overloaded her senses. She instantly shut her eyes tightly.

"Ah, awake are we, Jessie?"

Jessie knew that annoying voice. She tried asking a question, but it came out more like a croak.

Phil Corvin's voice nabbed at her once more. "Wondering where we are? Heh, I am surprised you are finally awake. We are in now in sunny South America."

Jessie finally tried opening her eyes again, only more slowly. The light was not so painful this time, and as their surroundings came into view, she realized that they were in a helicopter that was coming in for a landing. She felt a slight jolt as the helicopter touched down, then the sound of the blades dying out as Phil powered down the craft.

She then tried bringing her hands up to get her hair out of her face, but found that she could not.

A pair of handcuffs tightly bound her hands in front of her.

She tried her voice again, and found that she could finally speak. "What did you hit me with?"

"A gas of sorts, though I don't know what all is in it," Phil replied non-chalantly. "Those Zin sisters left me with some interesting toys."

Jessie shuddered as she checked and found the normal restraints in place that normally kept one in their seat. "They must not have cared so much, otherwise wouldn't they have picked you up instead?"

Her comment must have hit home, for Corvin turned in his seat and backhanded her hard, making her see stars on top of the throbbing pain she was already feeling. Jessie stopped long enough to breathe even out, then realized that Corvin had already left his seat. Moments later, Corvin appeared at her side, and started to undo the harness that held her to her seat.

"Now I don't want you getting any ideas. It seems that everybody is at a pyramid about a mile from here, at least according to those coordinates Dr. Quest was sent, so-ugnh!"

As soon as Corvin released the last strap from her seat, Jessie lashed out with her feet, nearly catching him the groin. It was enough though to catch him by surprise and he fell back.

Jessie hopped out of the helicopter and ran. She wasn't sure where to go, but anywhere was better than here.

Her thoughts of freedom were short lived when a gunshot sounded, and she could feel the ricochet kick up rocksmere inches from her position.

Phil called out to her. "I missed on purpose, Jessie. If you continue to run, I can always adjust my aim."

Jessie froze, the pounding in her head now settling down to a dull roar. A few yards ahead of them, she could see a group of figures dressed in black hooded robes, and all of them were armed.

Reluctantly, she decided to let them take her. Her dad had always told her to look for opportunity and choose her battles carefully, and being out numbered twenty to one was not a battle she wanted to fight just yet.

She heard Corvin approach behind her. "Do you really think I wouldn't land without letting our hosts know?"

He then walked around her and addressed the group of hooded figures. "Two to see your bosses. Come along Jessie, musn't keep our date with destiny awaiting."

* * *

Dr. Quest paced the length of the room he was put in, and wondered what to expect. When his two capors led him into the pyramid, they journeyed down a long stone hallway, lit by torchlight. The strength the two had was enough to where he could not deviate from their destination. It was only after a few yards that they had directed him to a right hand hallway, and led him into a large room. What he was seeing amazed him.

The room had looked to have been used for worship at one point. Near the front of the room was a large stone altar, decorated with various carvings, but that was where the age ended.

Someone had added their own touches to the room. Various racks holding different sensor equipment flanked the different walls of the room, and in the middle of the room, a large metal worktable was set up, and was covcered with different books and various different test tubes filled with liquids that Dr. Quest did not recognize.

Over in the corner though, Dr. Quest received the biggest shock of his life.

A large cylinder stood in the corner of the room, and within laid the body of Dr. Zin. Various cables leading from the cylinder were attached to a few of the sensors in the room, and he could hear their gentle beeps as if the man were on life support. Was he alive?

"You seem to be regarding my father rather intently, Dr. Quest."

Dr. Quest whirled around at the sound of the feminine voice, and saw Zin's likeness in the woman that walked into the room. With a calmness he wasn't feeling, he asked. "So are you Anya or Melana?"

The woman laughed. "To the point as always. Father always liked that about you. It's Anya actually. You are quite lucky in a way, Dr. Quest."

"Lucky?" he roared increduously. "Lucky that your family has interfered with mine over the past five years, taking Jonny away from me? I don't call that luck."

Anya shook her head and smirked. "Such a temper. Melana and I will have our father back soon enough. In a way, you could help with that."

"And what makes you think I will agree to help you with any scheme?" Dr. Quest retorted.

He watched in horror as the answer was pushed through the doorway. Anya's identical double stepped through the doorway, and pushed a familiar figure in ahead of her.

"Jessie!"


	9. An Uneasy Decision

_This chapter is aptly titled for a few reasons: One, because I was deciding what to do with a particular character. Two, because a few characters are dealing with a few decisions of their own, and three, I am hoping Sigokat won't hurt me for this chapter. -hides-_

**_Serpent's Kiss  
_**An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
by Time Guardian

Chapter 9 - _An Uneasy Decision_

As soon as the sisters left the room, Jessie rushed over to Dr. Quest's side. "Are you all right? Where's dad and Jonny?"

He smiled in relief, and then embraced the girl. "I'm fine, but I don't know where anyone else is. How did you get here?"

Jessie then recounted her tale of how Phil Corvin had gotten into the house and knocked her out in the lighthouse. "Before he nabbed me though, I managed to send a message back through the same way that Jonny sent us his message. I was hoping he would get a warning to you and dad."

Dr. Quest shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid he hasn't made his presence known here yet."

Jessie hung her head. "I see." She then looked over in the corner and did her best to suppress a shudder. "So that's Dr. Zin."

He slowly nodded. "All of this is supposed to revive him. They must be working from their father's research. I recognize some of the machines as ones being stolen by Zin in the past."

Turning, he motioned to Jessie. "I think I can help you get those cuffs off."

Walking closer, she saw that Dr. Quest had edged out a thin metal rod from the pocket of his shorts and set to work picking the lock of her handcuffs.

Jessie smiled as the handcuffs opened seconds later. "I didn't know you could pick locks, Dr. Quest."

"I have your father to thank for that actually. One doesn't hang around Race Bannon for too long without picking up a few pointers."

Placing the tool back into his pocket, Dr. Quest walked back over to the case where Dr. Zin's body laid. The man's color seemed natural enough, and his facial hair seemed longer than normal. The sisters had gotten so close already, it seemed hard to believe that he wasn't alive already.

"What do you think they want you to do?"

It was an innocent enough question. Dr. Quest thought about that answer in every conceivable fashion, and every outcome turned out the same. There was no easy way to say it. "Anya and Melana want me to assist them in bringing Dr. Zin back to life. I have no choice. They will use you to get me to obey."

* * *

Under Jonny's guidance, they had made it to the pyramid in record time. Race marveled at the amazing size of the pyramid. From the few digs that he had been on with Estella, he had seen pieces of history, but none like this. 

"Race, we don't have time to gawk," Jonny chided him. "Follow me."

Race followed Jonny as he carefully led him in a walking pattern well wide of the pyramid's perimeter. "Why the roundabout route?"

Jonny didn't answer at first, instead choosing to walk into the woods for a few feet away from the side of the pyramid they were facing. After he finally dropped his pack to the ground, he simply said "Not to mention that it is guarded, but there are cameras too." He tossed Race a pair of binoculars. "Check the corners of this side of the pyramid."

Race turned back and took a look through the binoculars, and sure enough, he easily spotted the two cameras flanking either side of the pyramid face. "This is a real pyramid isn't it? The sisters didn't build it to spook the locals did they?"

Jonny shook his head. "Trust me, I heard enough 'stories' about this place from the locals that makes me think it's legit. Most are looking for tourists to boost their economy, so some don't believe as strongly anymore. Some like the sergeant and Felix believe just enough to make them leery of this place. That's why Zin was all too eager to check it out."

Race froze. Jonny hadn't talked much about his time with Zin, other than the one time in Germany when they had been tracking down a lead based off of one of Jonny's memories. If there was only time to ask him more...Race chose to ignore the statement for now. "So, how do we get in?"

He watched as the boy dug through his pack again, and this time came up with what looked like two long hooded robes. "I waylaid a couple of guards about a week ago." Jonny then grinned. "What better way than going in as a pair of hired goons?"

* * *

Jessie watched in exasperation as Dr. Quest went about the room, studying each piece of equipment. "Shouldn't we try to escape as quickly as we can? We know what they are up to, we could get the local authorities in on this and catch them in the act, not to mention kidnapping." 

He shook his head. "Not yet. Besides, if Zin's daughters are anything like he is- was, then even if we do escape and bring the authorities in, all they will find is an empty pyramid. They will be free then to move on and try this again, ruining other other lives in the process. It has to end here and now."

She was getting worried for him. For a moment Dr. Quest was really sounding distant. Jessie chose to change the subject. "So I guess you are checking out the machinery to see if there's something you can do to sabotage it?"

He continued moving around the room, checking each piece of machinery as he rambled. "There was once a Chinese warrior named Sun Tzu that had said that if you know your enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Of all the times I have even encountered Dr. Zin, I have never been as close to him as I have now. Maybe with a little luck, we can find or learn something that will ensure that he stays dead."

Dr. Quest stopped near the back corner of the room in front of a row of switches before continuing. "Now here is a poor place to put switches, especially a light switch. From what I can tell of this wiring, this one right hand switch controls all of the lights in this room. It is a long way to the doorway in the dark."

He didn't hear Jessie reply, so he turned back around, and found that Melana and Anya had come back in, and Jessie had started backing up to where he was positioned.

Melana had an automatic rifle slung over her shoulder, and she was pointing it at Jessie. Her voice was dripping with ice.

"Well, Dr. Quest, ready to help us, or does the girl have to die?"

* * *

Phil Corvin found himself uneasy as Melana ordered two of her men to escort him to another room. She hadn't told him anything about what was going to happen next, but one thing was for sure, he wanted to be here to see the look on Race's face when he found out that Jessie was here. 

At a juncture in the stone hallway, the men that were escorting him nudged him into the complete opposite direction from where they had come in. He wasn't alarmed yet, but Phil kept his hand close to the automatic handgun he had tucked away in his shoulder holster just in case.

After a few feet, his escorts motioned him to stop in front of a small stone door to his right.

One of the men pressed on a section of the wall to the right of the door, and then finally spoke. "In."

Seconds later, the stone door slowly opened, revealing very little since the interior was bathed entirely in darkness.

Phil hitched a thumb in the direction of the door. He smelled a double cross, and was trying to come up with a plan. "You expect me to wait in there?"

In response, the two men lunged for him, barreling straight into his midsection. Phil thought he was ready for them, but the power behind their tackle left him reeling. "What have those sisters been feeding you guys?"

The men then quickly followed up with a flurry of punches. Phil was able to block the punches, but little else. What he really needed was his gun.

He decided to chance it, and quickly reached for it.

The two men at that moment chose to rush him. Covrin managed to get a shot off before the force of their tackle sent him stumbling backward into the very room that he was trying to avoid. The gun that he had been holding skittered off a few feet behind him.

Scrambling to get up, he ran for the door, but it had started closing.

"No!"

He stopped mere inches from the door just as it closed. With the door being made of stone, it would have been suicide to try and prop open the door on his own.

Phil Corvin pounded the door, but it was no use. It was pitch black in the room, and that gave him little opportunity to find something to use as a weapon.

_-Hiss- _

He turned around. Strange sounds were coming from the heart of the room. Corvin nervously turned back to the wall and felt around. If there was a switch on the outside letting people in, maybe there was one in there to let people out-

The hissing he heard continued, and then it was followed up by sounds of movement.

_-What is in this room?-_

It wasn't until he felt something slither around his leg that Phil realized the movement he was hearing was snakes – and judging by the sounds there were hundreds of them. The hissing he had heard was growing in volume.

Fear paralyzed him. In the back of his mind, he thought maybe coming to South America wasn't such a good idea after all.

* * *

They were careful to keep themselves hooded as they entered the pyramid through the crack Jonny had found in one of the pyramid sides, and soon they found themselves in a long hallway lined with torches. 

Race looked up and down the path and whispered. "How are we supposed to find the area where the twins are?"

Jonny shook his head. "Dunno. I never got this far into the pyramid."

"Then we will have to make a search for it. Let's go, Jonny."

Slowly they crept up the hallway. One or two other hooded figures passed by them, and luckily with their hoods down, they passed by each of them without earning a second glance.

When they reached the halfway point of the hallway, Jonny heard a strange thudding noise. "Race, you hear that?"

Race looked around, and listened. Sure enough the thudding sound came again. "I think it came from this wall."

He went over to the opposite wall of the hallway and began to feel around the slightly rough surface. Soon he found what he was looking for. "I think we have a door, but how do we get it open?"

Jonny began feeling the wall to the right of where Race was. "If it's anything like the outside of this place there should be a switch - found it!"

As soon as he pressed in on the switch, the door began opening, and that was when a man crawled quickly out from the opening door. Shock crossed his features as he recognized who the man was. _-Phil Corvin!-_

* * *

Race remembered the message Jonny had received, and then looked at the former head of I-One crumpled on the floor. The man had crawled to the far wall of the hallway and backed up against it. He was wide-eyed, and kept screaming. "Close the door!" 

Jonny frantically punched at the stone rune that opened door, and it soon was closed.

Growling, Race leaned down until his face was mere inches from his former boss. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now."

Corvin caught his breath for only a mere moment before he began having a coughing fit. "Because I am a dead man already. Check - my left leg."

Race glanced down and pulled up Corvin's left pant leg. He saw the two sets of bite marks near Phil's calf were dripping blood, and the area around them was already beginning to bruise up. From what Race knew, the sisters were only using venomous snakes, so that meant he was telling the truth. "There's a town not far from here-"

Corvin's harsh laughter echoed through the hall, only to be cut off by another fit of coughing. "Reality check, Bannon: Anything that is more than an hour away might as well be unreachable. Help me up."

Race looked uncertain, but leaned down, and took Phil's arm, allowing him to use Race as a prop, and soon Corvin was back on his feet. Phil turned and looked at Jonny. "Who is your friend here?"

Race looked uneasily at Jonny, who at this point was just staring at Corvin, not saying a word. Phil had made no indication that he had recognized him. -_Is Jonny scared of him?_- "Umm... he's just a guide we hired to get to the pyramid."

His thoughts turned back to the task at hand. Race grabbed a fistful Of Corvin' shirt and twisted as hard as he could and growled. "I'll revise my earlier statement - tell me why I shouldn't kill you now instead of waiting on the snake venom to do it!"

Corvin laughed harshly once more. "Because as much as I hate to say this, I owe you one. That god forsaken snake pit is the last place that I'd rather die in." His voice broke off as he grimaced in pain. "Besides, we have a common enemy. It was those Zin bitches that got me in there in the first place."

Race never let go of his shirt. "WHERE ARE DR. QUEST AND MY DAUGHTER!?"

The man lifted a shaky hand and pointed down towards the last room in the hallway. "There. Better hurry, those crazy sisters have what they need to revive their old man, and they are prepping right now."

Race thought hard for a few moments before reluctantly releasing Corvin. Turning, he motioned to Jonny and he started to head off in the direction the man had indicated.

After a few feet, he realized that Jonny wasn't behind him. Turning, he saw the boy looking back at Corvin.

With an uneasy feeling, he watched as Jonny's whole body tensed, as if he wanted to go after the fallen man.

He held out a hand to restrain Jonny. It took all of Race's own efforts not to go after the bastard himself, venom or not, but if Corvin was telling any shred of truth, they were quickly running out of time. "Jonny, as much as I hate to say this, leave him. If he's not dead now, he will be soon."

He looked down the corridor Phil had indicated. "We have bigger fish to fry."

* * *

Dr. Quest felt his heart drop as he saw the two sisters come into the room. They had no time left. 

Melana then pointed her gun at Dr. Quest. "We have all of the ingredients ready for our experiments, and plenty of subjects to test them on. You will help us."

Jessie then chose that moment to speak up. "No!"

Anya turned quickly, swinging her fist, and connected easily. Jessie fell face first to the ground.

Dr. Quest tried to rush to her defense, but was met with a roundhouse kick to the jaw by Anya. He fell hard to the ground, stars dancing in front of his eyes.

"Disciples, restrain him!"

As he tried to push himself off the ground, Dr. Quest felt his arms being grabbed and noticed two men on either side of him being the ones that were doing it. Their vacant stares told enough: They were under the control of the daughters of Zin.

Anya smirked. "Now that I have your attention, Melana, could bring me the serum and syringe?"

"Of course."

Melana walked over to the worktable and returned with a filled test tube and syringe, and eagerly handed it over to Anya. Dr. Quest noted in horror that she was holding the tube and giving him a look that was pure evil.

"My sister seems to be of the belief that we should test our snake serum on a more worthy individual, so instead you will receive our control serum. I am sure you have seen its effects before with your son, Dr. Quest. Melana has tweaked the formula a little, and it has enhanced the strength of our subjects in addition to lowering their own will. Imagine having no will of your own, doing anything that we say." She stopped long enough to look at the unconscious girl. "Maybe even killing your young friend over there."

Dr. Quest felt sick as he twisted in his captors' grasp. He had to do something!

Anya's voice was sharp. "I said hold him!"

The two hooded figures strengthened their grip, and Dr. Quest nearly groaned in agony - his arms felt like they were getting cut in half.

He watched as Anya took a syringe and uncapped it, quickly sticking it through the rubber stopper and pulling up on the plunger, bringing in the serum. After a few seconds, she threw the test tube aside, and held the syringe high.

Her voice lowered to a growl. "Now let's see how you like losing your will, Dr. Quest."

* * *

Race and Jonny managed to reach the doorway of the room in question. What Race saw made his blood run cold. 

Dr. Quest was being restrained and Jessie laid unconscious on the stone floor.

He motioned to Jonny to stay flat at the other side of the doorway. What they needed now was a plan and fast.

* * *

Jessie willed herself to stay as still as she could, continuing to play the part of someone unconscious. Anya's punch by all rights should have knocked her out, but luckily she had pulled back just in time. She was seeing a few stars, but at least she was still coherent. 

There was no sign of her dad or Jonny, but there was also no sign of Phil either, so she counted herself lucky. Even with the two disciples in the room, she could easily take down Anya and force her to order the disciples away from Dr. Quest - or Melana could counterattack, allowing Anya to inject her and force her to kill Dr. Quest.

She dismissed the direct approach. What Jessie needed was a distraction, one that would give both her and Dr. Quest time to overpower their captors and escape.

That was when Jessie remembered the switches near the back corner of the room. Dr. Quest has made mention that the right hand one of the group controlled the lights-

Her decision made, Jessie made her move on three.

She pushed herself up off the ground quickly and dove for the light switch.

Seconds later, the whole room was plunged into darkness.

* * *

From their vantage point, Jonny and Race saw the lights go out. 

"Race-"

"-I know. Let's go!"

* * *

Anya cursed as she watched the girl go for the light switch. She had not been close enough to stop her, but judging by the faint light the torchlight from the doorway was providing, she had not escaped the room either. 

Good, because she was going to take pleasure in killing the little bitch personally.

Two shapes did come in the doorway though, and this put her senses were on full alert. "Melana we have intruders!"

Sounds of battle ensued. Anya kept one hand tightly clenched around the syringe and she plunged forward into the chaos. The low amount of light from the torches in the hallway provided little help to her, but she had memorized the layout of the lab often enough to know where every machine and switch was located.

She carefully inched along the wall and was soon quickly at the switches. Anya flipped the light switch back on.

Light flooded the room, and the motion seemed to stop for a few moments. Anya blinked furiously to adjust her vision back to normal and realized that both disciples were out cold in the middle of the floor, and Melana was holding her own against Race Bannon, Dr. Quest and the two kids.

They had come too far and sacrificed way too much to be stopped by the likes of them.

Anya caught her breath as she watched Melana advance on the group, holding her semiautomatic rifle on them. "Four against two, these odds don't look good, sister. Maybe you should do something about it."

What could she mean? She tried to make sense of what her sister said until Anya remembered the syringe in her hand. Anya walked closed to the group until she was within striking distance. "I think that can be arranged easily."

She chose her target, and lashed out quickly with a high kick. Her target crumpled to the ground hard, and she made her move, straddling his body and pinning his shoulders. It was all she could do to hold him down because he was doing his best to try and break free.

Anya looked into his eyes, and a ghost of a smile creased her lips. "How appropriate."

She quickly maneuvered the syringe in her hand, brought it down hard into her captive's shoulder and pressed down on the plunger.

* * *

_Muwha! I will reveal who got injected - next time. -ducks as objects are thrown-_


	10. Deception's Drawback

_Ok, I left quite a big Cliffhanger - let's see if we can turn this into a rollercoaster. :P_

_Last time..._

She quickly maneuvered the syringe in her hand, brought it down hard into her captive's shoulder and pressed down on the plunger.

_And now, it's time to fill in a few blanks, shall we? ;)_

**Serpent's Kiss**

An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic

by Time Guardian

Chapter Ten - Deception's Drawback

Anya sat up triumphantly and threw the used syringe aside.

When she had chosen her target, Anya had thought she was going for the anonymity. When she found that her hands came away stained with a dark substance that came off of his skin, she looked into his eyes and recognized her target.

--

Jonny Quest felt like his head was going to explode. His shoulder burned from the force of the injection and his thoughts were coming a mile a minute. He eventually was able to cast Anya aside with a judo style throw. As he got to his feet, his eyes met Race's, and Jonny could see the question in his eyes. _-Are you all right?- _

He shook his head in reply.

This wasn't going well at all. Head spinning, Jonny reluctantly remembered the last time he felt this way and recognized what was happening.

_-Damn, she gave me the control serum.-_

At best, he had three minutes before his mind clouded over, making him susceptable to any command the sisters had up their collective sleeves.

Well, he wasn't going down without a fight. He saw Anya move towards the end of the room where her father was entombed and he gave chase.

--

Race stared down Melana holding the gun on them and mentally kicked himself for waiting so long to act. He had hoped the sisters would either show their hand or show a weakness, but instead they decided to use Jonny to do their dirty work. He had a bad feeling that whatever had been used on Miguel had just been used on Jonny, and there was no time for explanations.

With a growl he sprang towards Melana, all the while yelling over his shoulder. "Benton, Jess, get Jonny away from Anya. If she gives him a command in his current state we will be his next targets!"

--

Dr. Quest heard what Race said, and stared at the boy he knew as Tomas.

Shock and grim realization set in. He knew Race would never lie to him, and Anya had told him what was in that vial and that meant - no, not again.

He was jolted by Jess shouting. "Dr. Quest, come on!"

They both hurried, rushing Anya where she stood. Jess went for her feet and Dr. Quest tackled her shoulders and all three of them fell to the ground hard.

Dr. Quest's anger boiled over and he shook Anya's shoulders hard. "Enough of this! Give it up, you've lost."

Strangely enough, she started to laugh. Irritated, Jessie shouted. "What's so funny?"

Anya sneered at the two of them. "It is too late. Jonny, get Dr. Quest off of me!"

Dr. Quest turned his head to see where Jonny was, but by then it was too late, he felt a sharp blow at the back of head, and he fell hard to the floor.

As he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, he saw Jonny standing above him smiling.

--

Jessie saw Dr. Quest fall and she moved to her feet quickly to find Jonny standing over his unconscious father, but his eyes were different. They seemed almost lifeless, as if his soul was gone.

"Jonny, no!"

She received no response. Jessie looked back at her dad, who at that point was still grappling with Melana. He was busy with his own fight.

Anya stood up and casually dusted herself off as if the fight had been nothing. "Well, I think now we have the advantage, don't we sister?" She went over to where Dr. Quest laid on the ground.

Jessie realized what Anya was about to do and mave a move towards her. "Oh no you don't!"

Anya whipped her head around. "Jonny, restrain her!"

Jessie looked around wearily as she saw Jonny approach her. He had a determined stride, and the scowl on his face made it obvious that he was willing to follow the order. "Jonny, please, I don't want to hurt you."

When he didn't stop, Jessie sighed. "I warned you." She then whipped around with a roundhouse kick that should have sent him sprawling to the ground. Instead, Jonny's head went back once, and then he began to advance on her again.

She backed away nervously. Whatever tweaking Anya had done with the potion was sure effective. Jessie settled back into a karate stance like her father taught her. She wasn't going to make it easy on anyone, Jonny included.

Anya's voice rang out through the room. "Jonny, stop. I suggest the two of you give up now, before I break the Doctor's neck!"

Jessie saw that while she was busy evading Jonny, Anya had taken up a position over Dr. Quest's body, and she had her hands posed above his head.

She looked back at her dad, and saw the indecision in his face.

--

Race found Melana to be a wily opponent, and he was having a hard time counterattacking, because he was worried about what was happening with Jonny, Jessie, and Dr. Quest.

He had finally managed to kick the rifle out of Melana's hands when he heard Anya announce her intentions. When Race looked over, he was sick to see Jonny standing guard over Jessie, and Anya being seconds away from breaking Dr. Quest's neck.

There was too many odds stacked against them. He saw the fear in her daughter's eyes, and he tried to give her a reassuring glance. They were in a den of snakes in more ways than one, but for now, Dr. Quest's life was at stake.

Race halted his advance, and put his hands up in the air. "We surrender. Do not hurt him."

--

Melana backed off as well, and picked up the weapon that had been forced from her hand. "What shall we do with them, sister?"

Anya stood up. "I still need assistance to help us with our father's revival." She looked over at Jonny. "Since I already have a willing servant, I will have him do the major tasks while I monitor the machines. Why don't you introduce our three guests to our snake brethren?"

Melana laughed and motioned towards the door with her gun. "Excellent. I have the perfect place for them."

--

Dr. Quest's head pounded furiously. Coherent thought was starting to come back to him, and he wasn't too happy with what he remembered. Jonny was back under the control of the Zin family, and he was a prisoner in the Serpent's pyramid. He felt something binding his arms, and he slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself shackled by his arms against the wall of what looked like a smaller lab. Looking around, He saw that Race and Jessie were in the same predicament as he was.

Race apparently noticed he was awake, because he quietly hissed. "Benton! Whatever you do, don't make any sudden moves. Look at the floor."

Casting his gaze to the ground, he saw three poisonous snakes, judging by their markings, and they were all slithering around at their feet.

--  
Edit: must make sure not to rush things, edited for one or two minor grammar fixes and a number agreement.

_Happy Halloween Everybody! -ducks before any objects can be thrown at her.-_


	11. Resurrection

_**Serpent's Kiss  
**__An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
__by Time Guardian_

_**Chapter 11 - Resurrection**_

Dr. Benton Quest thought that when he would die, he would be surrounded by his family and friends, not by a pyramid, snakes, and evil of the worst kind.

After Race had pointed out the intruders that were sharing the space with them, he kept a wary eye on the snakes that were at their feet. It may have been the stress of the moment, but he couldn't recall what variety of poisonous snake they were, and in some small way he was thankful. He cast a look back over at Race, and saw that his friend was eyeing the chains that were binding them to the wall, trying to see any weakness in them or if the locks could be forced.

"How long have we been here?" he whispered.

It was Jessie that answered him. "About an hour I think. They secured us in here, and then Melana brought those snakes in here." She shuddered. "They are poisonous, aren't they?"

He reluctantly nodded. "We should not agitate them at any cost." Benton then asked the question he was dreading. "Jonny is still in there with them, isn't he?"

Race nodded sadly. "The twins had him lead a contingent of guards here and secure us. Listen to me though, I have seen this new serum in action, and according to one of the police from town, it does wear off." He then explained about his and Jonny's encounters with Felix and Miguel, and what Felix had told them.

Benton shook his head in wonder. "And I thought the greatest evil was laid to rest with Dr. Zin. His daughters have taken this one step further. The strength of their guards, and the move that Jonny made on me was incredible, but I truly wonder if we have the time to wait for that serum to wear off."

Jessie shook her head emphatically. "They were ready to start the process as soon as we were secured-"

--

Anya Zin worked the controls of the various machines of the small lab. Each had been designed by both her and Melana to monitor some aspect of this whole process. There were machines giving her father oxygen and still others cycling blood through his systems and cycling out waste. If this worked, the only thing to account for would be a possible loss of muscle tone, but Anya knew there was the possibility that with the immortal life would also come youth and strength as well. They would simply have to address any issues as they came up.

She turned to her sister. "Melana, do you have the snake serum ready?"

Melana was standing at the stone altar, but she shook her head and bent over a small motar and pestle. "The flowers have to be ground just right. I will be ready in a minute."

All of a sudden, beeping from one of the devices made Anya curse. Rushing over to the machine nearest her father, she discovered that it indicated that the oxygen levels in her father's blood were dropping rapidly.

That meant only one thing. As she flipped the nessecary switches to rectify the situation, she shouted. "This is the third time in as many weeks that this has happened. Father's body has started to deteriorate, we cannot wait much longer! I will need someone to stay at this machine to monitor it - we will have too much to do otherwise, even with Jonny's help."

The beeping finally ceased, and Melana turned back to her sister in annoyance. "Well then get Jonny to go with you to get his father then. We have waited long enough! I will have the serum ready by the time he gets here."

Anya shivered slightly. "But you let your pets loose in the lab."

"I am finishing the serum, which will take a delicate mixing process!" Melana countered with a smirk. "Just go already. What are you afraid of?"

Anya turned. Jonny had been standing at the entrance while she and Melana were making the final preparations.

With a sigh of resignation, she headed toward the entrance of the lab. "Come with me, Jonny. We are going to go visit your father."

--

Benton allowed his body to lean against the cool stone wall of the small room. He closed his eyes, trying to think of something or anything that could get them out of this mess, but there was nothing he could come up with at that point.

"Giving up already, Dr. Quest? That is so unlike you."

His eyes flew open, and saw that his son was standing above him, unlocking his chains. Anya was standing in the doorway. "We need your expertise after all, Dr. Quest. You will come with us."

"Free Jonny of the control serum first," he countered. "Then I will do what you want."

"Dr. Quest!" Jessie shouted.

Anya chuckled. "Apparently the good doctor doesn't realize the seriousness of the situation." From behind her back, she drew out a Glock pistol and pointed it at Jonny's head. "I could just remove the problem easy. I could kill your son, and the force of his body could set off Melana's little pets-"

"Enough!" Dr. Quest shouted. Jonny had just finished freeing him from the chains, and grabbed for his father's arm, yanking him rudely to his feet in the process. Amazingly, the snakes in the room kept their position. and soon Dr. Quest was dragged towards the door and out of the room.

As the group left, Jessie looked at the doorway. "Dad, what do we do now?"

Race Bannon was also looking at the same doorway. "I don't know Jess, I don't know."

--

Through pushing and prodding down the main stone hallway, Dr. Quest soon found himself back in the room where they started. Anya moved to the front of the stone altar where Melana was working, and Jonny prodded him into a standing position near Melana.

She turned around with vial in hand. "Welcome back, Doctor Quest. Anya needs you stationed by the blood oxygen machine up on the platform by our father. You will monitor the levels in our father and ensure that the proper oxygen level is maintained. Go."

Sliding the safety off, Anya cocked the hammer of the Glock pistol she had in her hand and pointed it in Jonny's direction. "And if our father deteriorates past the point of no return, your son will join him."

Benton lowered his voice until it was a mere growl. "Understand this: I will help you however I can to help bring your father back, but I swear if you harm my son, there will be nowhere you can hide from me on this Earth."

He then reluctantly walked over to the machine that they had indicated. From what he could tell in the initial glance and from what Melana had told him, it was some sort of machine to help keep oxygen levels in blood at a preset level. He imagined that one of the other machines must be cycling blood in and out of the man's body.

The controls looked detailed, but he tried to focusing, knowing that his son's life depended on his performance.

--

Race struggled with the chains that bound his wrists and couldn't break free. The lock that kept them together was nothing like he had ever seen. For all he knew, Zin could now be alive and on his way back to them to kill them.

"Dad, look out!"

He hadn't been paying much attention to the snakes around them, but Race realized too late that one had coiled dangerously close to left leg and was ready to move in for the kill.

_Bang!_

A gunshot rang out, striking the snake directly in the head, and missing Race by only mere inches.

With some surprise, Race looked up to find Phil Corvin holding on tightly to the doorway, his gun in hand.

Race tensed in surprise. "I thought you were already dead."

Phil smiled wanly as he fired more shots, taking out the remaining snakes in turn before letting the gun he held fall out of his hand. "It takes more than a couple of vipers to get me down, or it may just be that I am too damn stubborn to go when I am called."

He made a move to come into the small room, but he stumbled. Falling to his hands and knees, Phil managed to advance over to where Race was chained. Race could tell that he was in bad shape. Phil's face and arms had mottled and red blistered skin, and his breathing was extremely labored. "I tell you to go get those Zin bitches, and you get yourself captured. Never been able to follow orders, have you Bannon?"

Race grinned weakly. "It's been my motto since the beginning."

Phil dragged a weak hand into his pocket before pulling out a long thin rod, and with some effort, managed to shift his weight over so that he could place it in Race's hands. "I dunno how good of a lock pick this might be, but it will have to do. Can't exactly get back to the helicopter you know."

And with that, Phil Corvin slumped to the ground in a motionless heap.

Jessie looked at him. "Dad-"

Race shook his head as he took one last look before maneuvering the makeshift lock pick around to start working on his chains. "He's stopped breathing, Jess. There's nothing more we can do now except get out of here."

--

Melana handed the completed vial to Anya, and smiled in triumph. "The snake serum is now complete, Just feed the vial contents through the seperate feeding tube we set up for father."

As her sister moved towards their father, Melana then turned to Jonny. "Watch your father and make sure he doesn't move from where we placed him."

Jonny acknowledged the order with a simple nod, and turned to watch his father exclusively.

Anya stepped up on the platform next to the tube containing her father, and with a flourish, lifted off the top half of the tube, leaving it to hang above her, which Dr. Quest realized it had to be suspended by some sort of tubes or wires.

She leaned forward, grabbing for a small empty IV that seemed to be attached to what looked like a feeding tube going straight into her father's neck.

Anya's cold calculating voice marked the occasion. "Introducing the snake serum to the feeding tube - now."

Dr. Quest watched in morbid fascination as Anya fed the pink tinted -serum from the vial into the makeshift feeding setup. For a few minutes, the mixture slid from the IV bag, down the long tube and into Dr. Zin's body.

Initially, nothing seemed to happen. He watched Zin with baited breath. Would this wild scheme actually work?

As he continued to monitor the machine as well as he could, beeping began to issue from the readouts, and red lights were flashing quickly in alarm. "This readout is showing plummeting blood/oxygen levels. How do I up the oxygen level?"

Melana watched in alarm as Zin's body began to convulse terribly. "Idiot! We must stop the seizures now! Second lever, top row, NOW!!"

Anya quickly holstered her pistol behind her back, and quickly fought to keep her father's body still. "Do it now, Dr. Quest!"

--

It took precious time, but Race finally heard a satisfying click, and moments later his chains fell away. He quickly rubbed his wrists to restore the blood flow, and then moved to free Jessie.

After she was free of the bonds, she stood up gratefully, avoiding a glance in the direction when Phil Corvin's body lay. "What do we do now, dad?"

What Race wanted to do was run straight into that lab, but what they needed was an ace in the hole. "Jessie, be careful, but check the other rooms in this place. Free any of the tourists and get yourself out of this pyramid. There's a crack in the wall at the other end of this stone hallway."

Worry creased her features. "But dad-"

Race put his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Listen Jess, we are facing some big odds. Jonny's been doped up by that drug. From what I know of it, it will not wear off anytime soon, and if those twins have revived Zin, well, I need you to be free, just in case -"

Concerned by monitoring devices, he leaned close, and whispered a few words in his daughter's ear. Reluctantly Jessie broke away, then looked into his eyes. "Ok dad, but you better take care, and make sure Jonny and Dr. Quest get out of here safely."

Race nodded once. "Count on it. Now get going, and be careful."

Jessie nodded back, then headed off down the hallway in the direction of the cracked wall.

Race turned back to the task at hand. It had been at least an hour since Jonny had come for Dr. Quest, and he worried about what could be happening. He ran out of the room in the opposite direction.

--

Dr. Quest moved quickly to comply with the sisters' demands, flipping the switch that Melana had indicated. He turned back to the readouts on the machine and anxiously watched for a rise in Zin's blood oxygen levels.

Nothing. The readouts did not indicate a single percent of change. Moments later, Dr. Zin's body stopped its erratic pattern. A small part of him was relieved that an evil man's efforts to come back to life failed, and yet-

Melana's eyes widened with realization, and she began cursing in every language that she knew.

Tears ran unchecked down Anya's cheeks. After a few moments she stood from where she had been holding her father's body down only moment's before. Her eyes then fell upon Dr. Quest in cold fury. "You - You - You bastard, YOU KILLED HIM!"

--

Dr. Quest realized that he was out of time and remembered the threat that Anya had made. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he would not be able to reach either Jonny or Anya in time. He watched as in one cold fluid motion, Anya pulled out her Glock pistol and fired a single shot.

Jonny Quest, son of Dr. Benton Quest, spun from the force of the gunshot and fell to the ground.

"No, JONNY!!"

It was then that Dr. Quest heard the strangest sound in the air. He quickly whipped head back around to where Dr. Zin laid, and the sight he saw shocked him.

Dr. Zin's eyes were open, and he was gasping for air.

--

_It just came out this way, and that is my only defense. My mind is twisted, what can I say? -tries to look innocent, hands back everything that was thrown at her before, then flees.-_


	12. Holding On

_-Hmm, when last we met...-_

Dr. Quest realized that he was out of time and remembered the threat that Anya had made. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he would not be able to reach either Jonny or Anya in time. He watched as in one cold fluid motion, Anya pulled out her Glock pistol and fired a single shot.

Jonny Quest, son of Dr. Benton Quest, spun from the force of the gunshot and fell to the ground.

"No, JONNY!!"

It was then that Dr. Quest heard the strangest sound in the air. He quickly whipped head back around to where Dr. Zin laid, and the sight he saw shocked him.

Dr. Zin's eyes were open, and he was gasping for air.

-_and now, the conclusion. (Yes, it is done. ;) )-_

_**Serpent's Kiss  
**__An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic  
__by Time Guardian_

_Chapter 12 – Holding On_

Pain.

He recognized it and he relished it, even though the amount of pain was almost more than he could stand. Memories flooded through his mind of why he was there and what he was there to do. It amazed him that he could remember so much, and that was when he realized that the pain had cleared his mind.

From where he laid, he could hear voices, and all of them were like frantic buzzing noises around his head. He was able to take a cleansing breath, then nearly hissed as another wave of pain threatened to overtake him. Keeping as still as possible, he knew he had to gather his strength and pick his moment if things were to work out right.

--

Race Bannon made it back to the lab in time to see Jonny fall to the floor. -No!-

He didn't move to hide fast enough, and Melana saw him. "Ah Race Bannon, come inside. We were just celebrating our father opening his eyes. Come in, unless you want Dr. Quest to meet the same fate as his son."

What she said stunned him, and his eyes moved to the head of the room. Sure enough, the tube where he had seen Dr. Zin's motionless body earlier was now open, and the man in question had opened his eyes.

A gunshot roused him from his thoughts, and looking up, found the source to be Anya holding a Glock pistol. "You heard my sister, now move!"

Race stepped into the room, hands raised in the air. He worried when he saw Benton rooted in one place in shock. When he got halfway into the room, Melana stepped forward, grabbing him by the arm. "Get over here beside Dr. Quest!"

He made the move to comply, all the while looking over at Jonny's body on the ground. A small stain of blood was starting to trickle along the ground from his midsection, and Race worried what a bullet could have done to Jonny. -_Hang in there Jonny, we aren't done yet.- _

Once Race was standing beside Dr. Quest, Melana made a move back to the stone altar that was her workspace.

"I will radio for guards. There are too many people in here to guard ourselves."

Anya nodded, still training her gun on the two men. "Agreed. Hurry up, sister."

--

When he opened his eyes, he was confused. The earlier pain he had felt had evaporated into a burning sensation that spread all over his body. What had he been doing? How long had he been unconscious?

"Father?"

Dr. Zin's eyes rolled upwards, and one of his daughters came into his line of sight. Despite having twin daughters, he knew how to recognize each with only a glance. His voice sounded like gravel, and due to the feeding tube still inserted at his neck, his voice came out as a whisper. "Anya, where have I been? Why does my neck hurt?"

He could see the beginnings of tears in his daughter's eyes. Anya had always been more emotional compared to her sister. "You were dead, father. Thanks to your notes and our ingenuity, Melana and I have brought you back to life. The snake serum worked."

Dr. Zin's long dormant brain struggled to process the news. He tried flexing his arms and found that each could only move fractions of an inch. Frustration marred his features. "How come my body is not working?"

Melana came back into the center of the room, trailed by two guards. Race noticed with some irony that the two hired thugs were dressed in the type of black robes that he and Jonny had tried to use for their rescue attempt.

"Watch them," She commanded the two guards. "if either of them move without our permission, kill them."

The guards nodded once, and Melana stepped towards her father with a smile on her face.

"Father, with the limited testing we were able to do, we have estimated that it takes time for you to feel the full effects."

Despite his voice being little more than a whisper, it shot out like a thunder crack. "How long?"

Since the guards were in the room watching their prisoners, Anya holstered her weapon and stepped around to Dr. Zin. "Father, I can assure you it would only be a matter of six hours of rest and – "

His eyes widened, and his efforts to move his arm were met with greater success. Anya stepped back hesitantly, and noticed the scowl forming on his face. "Six hours? I would call that a failure."

--

Benton Quest's mind was shattered. His son was hurt and possibly dying, and the evil man that brought this whole chain of events lay before them, apparently cheating death. He didn't have a plan, but the urge to rush Dr. Zin and break his neck was very strong.

"Benton-"

The image of Dr. Zin lying broken at his feet was satisfying indeed.

"Benton, look at me!"

It had been a harsh whisper, but it was enough to at last get Benton's attention. He cast a sharp look at Race and whispered back. "We need to take action!"

Race's face held a sympathetic smile and he whispered back. "That's usually my line, but we need to do this with a plan. Jonny needs you alive, not going off half cocked trying to kill Dr. Zin on your own."

Mollified, Dr. Quest looked at the ground, partly embarrassed that he was that transparent. An idea formed in his mind, and he stole a glance at their guards. "Do you think our 'escorts' are under the influence?"

"Now you're thinking," Race encouraged, and looked at the guard closest to him. He was about Race's height, and the robe camouflaged his build. It took him a moment, but he recognized one of the guards that He and Jonny encountered on their way into the pyramid, and judging how he acted that night, there was no way he was given that drug. "Mine isn't. It's probably a safe bet yours isn't either."

"That's a pretty big bet-"

"We only need to hold them off long enough to get Jonny out of here," Race shot back. "Jessie is-"

"-is what?"

Race looked up just in time as Melana backhanded him hard. "Mr. Bannon, in a room like this, you better realize that a whisper almost has the carrying power of a shout. Now I almost forgot about your daughter - where is she?"

"Where you will never get her," he ground out.

Melana shook her head and then called out to her sister. "Bannon's daughter escaped. She's probably going to bring back reinforcements."

Dr. Zin spat. "I don't even know why I involved you two in this. Everything that you have touched has failed. I- I-."

His voice broke off as a spasm of coughing ensued. Blood dribbled from the his lips, alarming both Anya and Melana.

"What's happening to him?" Melana demanded.

Benton watched as Dr. Zin's face turned red, and the blood contiuned to flow from the man's mouth. "I think I know what is happening here. The venom has gotten into his bloodstream."

Race was puzzled. "I thought that was the point of all of this."

Benton shook his head, "The point of this is to ingest the serum and have it processed by the body and broken down before it enters the bloodstream. If someone has a hole or an ulcer on their stomach, the venom can get into bloodstream in it's regular form, mixed or not."

Anya was in denial. "Impossible!"

Melana stalked over to Dr. Quest, and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Do something, save him!"

Dr. Quest's laugh was mirthless. "He had the same chance you two gave my son. It is too late now."

"You should know full well what venom does to someone," Race added. "I'd say right about now what's left of his insides are turning to goo."

Anya rushed over with gun drawn. She stopped beside her sister, and put the barrel of her gun against Benton's head. "You knew this in advance. You killed him, and now I am going to kill you."

Race looked over at Dr. Zin's body as his eyes closed for the last time.

--

Jonny swam in and out of consciousness as he listened to the conversation the twins were having with Race and his father. Judging by Anya's threat, time had run out, and along with it any plans that he had been making.

He tensed his body, and readied himself. He had to act.

After all, Jessie wasn't the only one who could play dead.

--

Race had had enough, growling he moved towards Anya. "You leave him alone-"

The guards that had been behind the two men both grabbed Race, and just managed to keep him in place.

Frustration surged through him as he saw the look on Anya's eyes and knew their time was up. If only reinforcements would arrive.

"Hey Anya!"

Race was shocked to see that the voice had come from Jonny. He had been so focused on the twins, he hadn't noticed that Jonny had made it to his feet, and came around with a karate chop with his left hand that quickly disarmed her in seconds.

That was when all Hell broke loose.

Melana rushed to help her sister, and that is when Jonny went low, tackling both twins. Benton moved quickly towards the two men holding Race, and let loose with a right cross that sent one of the guards staggering and letting go of Race. With one arm freed up, Race swung around, using his weight to pull the guard down, and with a final well placed kick, and he made sure the guard wasn't going to get up anytime soon.

Race got to his feet and checked on Benton, who at this point was massaging a very sore hand. "You all right?"

Benton nodded quickly. "Let's help Jonny."

They moved towards the twins just as they had managed to throw Jonny off of them. He rolled towards the wall and laid there, eyes closed. Both Anya and Melana got back on their feet quickly.

Race motioned to Benton, and they spread out. "You know we can't allow you to leave yet, ladies."

"You have much to answer for," Benton continued. "Kidnapping, theft, testing on human subjects - I'll be surprised if authorities let you see the light of day before you are too old to care."

It was Melana that spoke defiantly. "You are just two men. One of us will escape, count on it."

Benton tensed, not knowing where the next surprise might come next.

His answer came when a loud yell came from the doorway of the lab. A handful of local police from what Benton could tell stormed into the room, their weapons drawn. At the head of the group stood Felix.

Race smiled as he saw the man. "Good of you to join us."

Felix grinned as he stepped forward to join them. "Your daughter has good head for direction. Sergeant nearly tripped over himself when he came across Jessie and got her information. She's outside waiting for you now."

Turning to his men, Felix barked out quick orders in Spanish, and the group advanced on the twins.

--

Race stopped at the sight of Felix hovering over the twins as he watched two of the other local police bind their prisoner's hands. On the back of the man's neck he could see a tattoo of a snake. He could tell that it was multicolored, and it looked to be coiled, ready to strike.

He jolted himself when he caught sight of Benton rushing over to Jonny's still form. Race went over to join him. He could see the bloodstain from Jonny's torso, and judging by the wound, the bullet was still inside him. "How is he?"

Benton checked Jonny's pulse. "It's very slow and erratic. I'm not even sure how much blood he has lost. Why did he go and risk everything like that?"

Race put a hand on his friend's arm. "He was protecting his own, Benton. He didn't want to lose the one good thing he had since going through that hell so long ago. Now he needs our help. Corvin said something about a helicopter outside?"

"I saw it when we came in," Felix spoke up. "It should be enough to get him help quickly."

Benton stood up. "Then let's get going. Help me get him outside."

--

It was slow work, but with Felix's help both Benton and Race were able to carry Jonny through the main passageway and outside of the pyramid. About a hundred feet away, they could just make out the helicopter that Phil Corvin had alluded to before he died.

Race hoped that there was enough gas to get them somewhere, but as they got closer, he recognized that the helicopter in question was a small model. "This helicopter only seats two. Benton-"

Benton knew what Race was about to say, and knew that he could probably stop the bleeding for a short time, but Jonny needed specialized help and fast. There was no time to waste. He turned to Felix. "Where can they go?"

"There is a city with a hospital southwest of La Entrada, about 30 minutes away from our town by jeep," Felix answered quickly.

He looked back at Race. No words needed to be spoken, the decision was made. He helped Benton get Jonny maneuvered into the passenger seat and then strapped in. Race then ran across and got into the pilot's seat, grabbing for the headset that lay across the controls.

Race slipped on his headset, and glanced over at his daughter, who had been waiting over by the corner of the pyramid. "Take care of Jessie for me."

Benton nodded once, and then looked at the unconscious form of his son strapped into the seat beside Race. "Jessie and I will meet you there as soon as we can. Godspeed, my friend."

As he backed away, the rotors of the helicopter began to turn. In the daylight, dust swept up all around them as Race lifted off high in the air, deftly turning in the sky towards the direction Felix had indicated.

Benton watched until the helicopter was out of sight, then ran back to the pyramid to help Felix and the others.

Jessie ran over and caught up with him. "Dr. Quest, will Jonny be all right?"

He sighed, placing an arm around the girl's shoulders. "I wish I knew, Jessie. I wish I knew."

--

It had been a tense ride. Race had found that there was a GPS unit installed in the helicopter, and he quickly used it to triangulate his position with La Entrada and the city Felix spoke of. There - the information came up quickly on the screen, and by his judgment it looked like they were less than a few miles away.

He urged the craft onward as fast as it will go. As far as landing, Race decided that he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

He looked over at Jonny once more, and worried when he saw how pale Jonny looked in the light, then remembered the teen's words back at the clearing. _- I wasn't going to allow them to hurt the one good thing I regained after five years of that Hell.-_

Race found a new sense of determination. _- You did what you set out to do Jonny, but it's not your time to go yet. Hold on.-_

Precious minutes passed, then as Felix had foretold, Race saw the city through a learing in the trees. It had looked fairly big. There seemed to be a couple of office buildings and shops, and below, he could see crowds of people either walking around or riding bikes. Occasionally he saw a handful of cars traveling along the same streets as well.

Now that he was where he needed to be, Race looked around for the hospital, and spotted the structure near the center of town. A two story structure, it seemed to be made of brown brick and glass, and signs proclaiming the hospital name in multiple languages. When Race also noted that they had designated the roof as a landing site for helicopters, he eagerly headed for the hospital roof.

--

After he landed, and after telling his story to at least three different people, doctors finally got Jonny onto a stretcher and down into one of the operating rooms. Race paced the corridors relentlessly as thirty minutes passed, then an hour. The hospital itself seemed somewhat modern, but not quite. The walls that were meant to be crisp white seemed to be more like a shabby grey, and some of the equipment he noticed when workers passed by him seemed to be antiquated at best.

Eventually, Race saw sight of a group of doctors leading a gurney with Jonny on it to one of the private rooms. Quickly following them, he found himself in a doorway as the doctors carefully lifted Jonny and placed him into the bed. Jonny was now dressed in a hospital gown, but Race saw where they had folded it carefully to where they could easily get to Jonny's wound.

He took a breath. Everything would be okay now. Benton and Jessie would meet up with them soon, and all they would need to do is to wait for Jonny to recover.

Suddenly, the energy changed in the room. One of them had been listening to Jonny's heart with a stethoscope, and then looked up in alarm. The others converged, and Race couldn't get a good view of what they were doing, but he did catch snatches of rapid fire comments, both in English and Spanish. _-No Heartbeat. Dead.-_

He anxiously looked on as they finally tried CPR on Jonny, but after nearly five minutes of work the doctor with the stethoscope stepped forward again, listening desperately for signs of life. Another minute and the doctor stepped back, shaking his head.

Race couldn't take this all in. He sank down into the wooden chair in the corner and watched as the doctors stood back from the bed, all the while hanging their heads. One of them even came forward seemingly to express their condolences, but the words were lost on him.

He got to his feet and staggered out of the room. What Race needed now was air. He navigated the maze of hallways until he made it to just outside the front entrance.

Race took a deep breath. He didn't know how he would even begin to tell Benton that his son was truly dead this time. They had come so far, and did so much - it was unfair that they had Jonny back for only a few months before all of this happened.

It took him a few minutes of breathing even out before he finally felt composed enough to walk back inside. It was time to face the facts.

Race maneuvered the corridors until he was back in front of Jonny's room. After a reluctant moment, he opened the door and stepped inside. He found that the doctors had left, but there was someone else there standing over Jonnny's bed, and Race recognized him instantly. "Miguel-!"

The boy turned around at the sound of his name. It had looked like he had been giving Jonny some kind of liquid from a vial by the look of it, but the thing that drew his attention was the snake tattoo on the back of Miguel's neck that he had seen before the boy turned around. It was almost a mirror image of the one that Felix had.

Miguel smiled and spoke one simple sentence. "I give Jonny the Serpent's Kiss."

The sentence had been in heavily accented English, but Race had caught the meaning. Miguel then chose that moment to run out of the room. He tried to run after the boy, but Miguel seemingly vanished among the people in the clinic hallways. Disheartened, he returned back to Jonny's room.

He opened the door to Jonny's room, and an unexpected familiar voice greeted his ears.

"Race?"

Race couldn't believe his ears. As he got closer to Jonny's bed, he realized that the teen's eyes were open.

Relief and amazement coursed through him. "Jonny - you're alive!"

Jonny smiled, and then winced. "I must be, Cause there's a pain in my side. At least Anya didn't shoot me in the shoulder like Corvin did."

"Well, you won't have to worry about Dr. Zin anymore," Race promised. "The serum backfired on him. Your father is thinking that Zin may have had ulcers or his stomach may have deteriorated too badly and the serum got into his blood. The venom part took hold and-"

Jonny shuddered. "Killed him. No need for a description, Race, I remember what those snakes did to Corvin." He then closed his eyes. "I'm so tired."

It took Race a few moments before he found his voice. "It's no wonder - you had lost a lot of blood, kiddo. Get some sleep, your father will be here soon." _-You've also cheated death more than once, survived the jungle for two months, and saved our lives...you definitely deserve a rest.-_

Race walked out of the room and saw that Jessie was sitting on a nearby bench. He didn't see Dr. Quest but assumed that he was around the building somewhere.

Jessie's head was slightly tilted forward, and her eyes were closed. _-She's sound asleep.-_

Race wearily took a seat beside her on the bench and leaned his head back against the wall. He thought back to the sight of Miguel and knew that the boy had to have given Jonny something, and then there were those snake tattoos-

That was it. All of a sudden, it all made sense - Jonny's initial message to them, the extensive amount of information the Zin twins were able to get, the way the sergeant and Felix were both behaving ever since they arrived in La Entrada, even the sergeant's wife abilities with the herbs. _-So the snake cult is alive - in La Entrada.-_

He debated telling Benton or Jonny about what had happened, but then firmly nixed the idea. Both father and son had been through enough to last a lifetime, and the sight of Jonny dead for those few moments were enough, even for him.

--

_Later that evening-_

Jonny opened his eyes and shifted around in bed. The pain was less this time, and he was feeling stronger. He could see the moon in the darkened sky from the nearby window, and he wondered how long he had been asleep that time.

Over in the corner, he could just make out the sleeping form of his father in a small wooden chair. All felt strangely calm. Both Dr. Zin and Phil Corvin were no more, and the twins - Jonny had forgotten to ask Race about them, but he hoped that they would be put into jail for a long time.

He stared at the ceiling and pondered what had happened to him in those last few hours. Jonny remembered being shot, lying there agonizingly all the while listening to the sisters try to tend to Dr. Zin, and then he couldn't remember much after that. At one point Jonny even felt like he was floating above his own body, but that couldn't have been, after all, he was here and alive now.

His family was safe, and his nightmares were gone. He could finally go back home, and focus on a normal life.

Comforted by those thoughts, Jonny closed his eyes, and was soon asleep.

The End

--

_It's done. I almost didn't believe it when I finished editing it, but I just typed the words a few seconds ago. This ends a story arc that had started with a simple question. "What would Jonny have been like if he had been kidnapped and brainwashed?" The result is the three stories in this library: Manipulation, Shattered Memories, and now finally Serpent's Kiss._

_I would like to thank Godess Evie and Sigokat, two of the biggest naggers this side of the net. Without them, I probably would have hit another mental brick wall, and have left this last story to flounder. :-P Seriously though my thanks to all who have read the series, and until another JQ idea comes to mind that I can put to use, I will become more of a reader for a while._

_Till then, I remain faithfully, _

_Time Guardian _


End file.
